A wealthy California family that built a fortune running McDonald’s franchises gave more than $4.4 million to political causes and candidates, including $364,817 to Gavin Newsom, $214,300 to Kamala Harris, $221,700 to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and roughly $1.455 million to federal campaigns. The family patriarch, C.C. Yin, co-founded Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA), an organization that placed interns and advisers in elected offices; declassified FBI files and interviews with former Congressman Eric Swalwell identify a close working relationship between APAPA and suspected Chinese operative Christine Fang, and show Fang acted as a point of contact for APAPA. Fang appears in photographs with C.C. Yin and his brother at APAPA events, and sources say a redacted APAPA official referenced in FBI interviews is likely C.C. Yin.
Investigators and foreign-influence experts have also documented Henry Yin’s repeated meetings with Chinese officials and the United Front, including trips described in Chinese state media where he was called a designated contact for California-China economic ties and was offered an advisory title. Neither brother has been accused by U.S. law enforcement of acting as a foreign agent. Still, their donations, advisory roles and participation in arranging Governor Newsom’s 2023 China visit - when Henry accompanied Newsom as an adviser - have prompted scrutiny amid broader concerns about Chinese influence operations in American politics.
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