Foreign Policy editor Jonathan Tepperman briefs Julian Lin of Taiwan Civil Government before her fraud arrest
(Image by Taiwan Civil Government) Details DMCA
Foreign Policy boasts on its website that it is a "trusted advisor and a powerful convener for world leaders when the stakes are highest." Just now stakes are pretty high in Taiwan with the People's Republic of China aggressively pushing the name Chinese Taipei, the World Health Organization barring the island's representatives, and the recent arrests by the exiled Republic of China of the pro-American leaders of Taiwan Civil Government.
Tepperman has nothing to say about Foreign Policy's relationship with its sponsor Taiwan Civil Government or the fraud arrests in Taiwan of Roger and Julian Lin. Tepperman was happy to chow down with Lin paying the bill but is now unwilling to discuss what he advised her or how much TCG spent on the affair.
The Lins are being accused by the exiled Republic of China, now governing Taiwan, of committing a financial scam based on political ideology. A raid three weeks ago led to the arrest of seven including Roger and Julian Lin who remain held incommunicado in solitary confinement.
The lavish entertaining of media houses and federal litigation along with lobbying in Washington all point to hefty expenditures by TCG in pursuit of its agenda for Taiwanese independence. The spending does not appear to be the work of a scam artist which raises questions about the validity of ROC accusations.
Unfortunately for Julian Lin, her arrest has embarrassed Foreign Policy and now there is silence where instead there should be inquiries and statements. Instead of buying influence the TCG money has purchased avoidance.
Foreign Policy is not the only media house with no comment. POLITICO likewise held events sponsored by TCG and let Julian Lin speak from the podium but refuses to say how much the group spent. Foreign Policy will not discuss its sponsor vetting process, will not discuss Taiwan Civil Government, and will not report on the arrests. Roll Call Live is equally silent about TCG sponsorship of its events.
Taiwan Civil Government is a pro-US organization dedicated to obtaining Taiwanese independence with US assistance. The Lins have brought both the US and ROC into federal court seeking to overturn the Nationality Acts in Taiwan that deprived island residents of Japanese citizenship protections. An earlier federal lawsuit by Roger Lin resulted in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declaring Taiwan a "political purgatory" for its stateless residents.
If the validity of TCG's legal advocacy is at the heart of the ROC prosecution against the Lins and others then events like Foreign Policy luncheons should come into the discussion. The news organizations that took TCG money treated the group with a respectability accorded to legitimate and worthwhile organizations. If ROC allegations are spurious then the Lins need the presumption of innocence and the close attention of the media houses they sponsored.
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