Ethics? Emoluments? Collusion? Campaign violations?

The letter, circulated to dozens of wealthy entrepreneurs in China last week, looked official. Topped with the insignia of a real Republican committee raising money for the party and President Trump’s reelection campaign, it purported to offer a handshake and a one-on-one photo with the president for $100,000 — a “VVIP” trip “to be remembered for a lifetime.”

The invitation, which Republican Party officials say they had nothing to do with, was not the only such offer. At least two other China-based companies circulated similar solicitations in the past week, offering access to Trump at an official fundraiser in Dallas on May 31, and charging two or three times the price of a ticket.

[...]

[A] Beijing man who claims to be an organizer of the excursion to Dallas said he coordinated a previous U.S. trip, bringing members of the Chinese business elite to snap selfies and pose for photos at a swanky Manhattan fundraiser headlined by Trump in December.

As part of his promotional materials for the Dallas trip, the man circulated pictures of wealthy Chinese business leaders, including a businessman known as the country’s first owner of a Ferrari, standing shoulder to shoulder with Trump in formal wear and giving a thumbs-up.

While U.S. election law prohibits campaign contributions from anyone but U.S. citizens and permanent residents, foreign visitors may attend fundraisers as long as they do not pay their own entry.

  WaPo

WTF? If you're a president who wants to do personal business with foreign visitors, you have slush funds (a la Michael Cohen's LLCs) to pay their entry. And, hey, who says those foreign visitors can't donate to that LLC?

Republican Party officials confirmed the presence of Chinese nationals at the December fundraiser but said they knew nothing about the Dallas solicitations. After being contacted by The Post, they referred the invitations to federal authorities.

[...]

“We maintain strict compliance with the law and have a zero-tolerance policy toward anyone who attempts to take advantage of the system in order to attend our events.”

Is that how the Chinese got into that December fundraiser?

A Republican Party official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss individuals at a private fundraiser said the Chinese visitors to the Dec. 2 gathering in New York — which encompassed several events, including a breakfast with Trump — were guests of a U.S. citizen donor, whom the official declined to name.

[...]

Mica Mosbacher, a member of the Trump 2020 national advisory board and a GOP fundraiser in Texas, said the board had “no knowledge” of the solicitations to the Dallas event and “would not endorse this activity.”

[...]

In addition to the invitation crafted to appear as though it was sponsored by the Republican Party, a different solicitation carried the logo of the China Construction Bank, one of China’s largest state-owned banks.

That invite claimed representatives from ZTE Corp. would attend the event, according to a copy obtained by The Post. This month, Trump announced via Twitter that his administration would be taking steps to prevent the Chinese telecommunications company from going out of business because of new trade restrictions.

ZTE officials said this week they had no part in the invitation or the fundraiser.

Gee. This is a real who-dunnit.

Just two days after the event, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will be in China meeting with senior officials about boosting U.S. imports. Chinese officials have already made clear that they are trying to extract concessions from the White House in exchange for any agreement, making the talks very fluid. Business groups in both countries could stand to win or lose billions of dollars based on the outcome of the talks.

Sun Changchun, who described himself as the head of a Chinese cultural exchange company, is promoting the Dallas event on WeChat, a Chinese messaging service. He claimed to have arranged both the Dallas and New York trips. He told The Post that he planned to give the Dallas ticket proceeds to the RNC, but provided no evidence to substantiate that assertion or any relationship with the RNC. His understanding, he said, was that the RNC would in turn donate the money to charity.

I know. I know. You need a break to recover from that bit of hilarity. Go ahead and take one.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.