McConnell's China Connection: Elaine Chao (DailyKos Community: Mopshell)

[eppur_se_muova]

(This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff)
Wednesday January 16, 2019 · 7:04 AM Central Standard Time

While researching McConnell’s background, I came across information about his wife Elaine Chao that I put aside because it didn’t fit into the jigsaw puzzle of a story I was then assembling around the senate majority leader tyrant.

I cut one piece of information — the oddness of Chao’s connection with a Californian internet startup called Multacom — specifically because of the speculative nature of the links. But that omission niggled at me; there were facts here that I felt were germane to the big picture even though I couldn’t pin them down with definite conclusions. Instead they raised more questions but that in itself can be informative so this strange little snippet from Chao’s past has been reinstated.

Then there were other connections around Elaine Chao that I just didn’t make at the time because I was focusing on McConnell with Chao in his background. Reverse their positions in the picture and the new perspective instantly adds another intriguing layer to the story.

BACKSTORY

Elaine Chao’s father, James Si-Cheng Chao, was born and raised in China. He attended the National Chiao Tung University in Shanghai where he met and befriended Jiang Zemin. That friendship was destined to have a significant effect on American politics.
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McConnell was undoubtedly an attractive proposition for her: he had a senate seat but not much money, prestige or leverage. What McConnell lacked, Elaine Chao had in abundance. Moreover, she had the capability to make him into the man he wanted to be and the partner she needed to realise her ambitions.
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more: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/16/1826335/-McConnell-s-China-Connection-Elaine-Chao



Sort of a follow-up to https://upload.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11668442

[still_one]

1. Elaine Chao was born in Taipei. The father moved the family there during the war. They are not pro

mainland China

However, as you pointed out they are extrmely wealthy, and McConnel has used used that and their influence to bolster his career

[awesomerwb1]

2. She's a very attractive woman

It's obvious it's a marriage of convenience.

The turtle got rich and at the same time got some bragging points with his confederacy loving buddies by marrying an attractive woman.