Chinese Bank Employees Tried to Sell $150,000 Trump Dinner Tickets

By Julie Bykowicz 

Employees at a branch of one of China's largest state-owned banks have attempted to sell what they claimed were $150,000 tickets to dine with President Donald Trump at a fundraiser in Dallas, prompting Republican campaign officials to notify the Justice Department.

China Construction Bank's Shenzhen branch confirmed a media report that some of its employees had sent fliers to clients promoting the chance to meet Mr. Trump and mingle with U.S. business "big shots" at the May 31 event.

U.S. law prohibits campaign donations from foreign nationals. It is unclear where the Chinese promotion originated, and it's unknown whether anyone attempted to purchase a ticket. China Construction Bank said its branch employees were merely passing along information from outside organizers.

"The event organizers had referred this event information to our bank branch earlier, and some individual employees sent it out," the bank said in a statement Friday. The bank vowed to tighten internal controls and marketing.

The bank branch's promotional flier, which circulated on Chinese social media, carried a "CCB Private Bank" logo at the top and purported to offer to help Chinese citizens obtain expedited U.S. visas within a week. The flier also claimed that clients would have the opportunity to get a signed photo with Mr. Trump.

A Republican National Committee official said prospective attendees for presidential fundraising events are vetted by the White House and Secret Service. The official said that everyone on the list for the May 31 event is a U.S. citizen, and people cannot simply show up to an event with a "ticket," as the Chinese promotion implied.

The Trump campaign and the RNC, which are co-hosting the May 31 fundraiser, said they had no connection to the Chinese offer and first learned of it through a Bloomberg News report. Officials with the campaign and the RNC said they had referred the matter to the Justice Department and the Secret Service.

China Construction Bank said the Shenzhen branch's promotional offer came from two outside organizers: The China Commercial Counselor and Entrepreneur Association and Shanghai Weijia Travel Service Co.

China Commercial Counselor and Entrepreneur Association couldn't immediately be reached for comment. An employee at Shanghai Weijia Travel Service declined to comment.

--Grace Zhu and Eva Dou contributed to this article.

Write to Julie Bykowicz at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 18, 2018 14:17 ET (18:17 GMT)

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