How a renegade Chinese billionaire became a center of D.C. intrigue一個反叛的中國富豪如何成為華盛頓陰謀的核

How a renegade Chinese billionaire became a center of D.C. intrigue
一個反叛的中國富豪如何成為華盛頓陰謀的核心（《POLITICO》，2019年6月7日）：
A billionaire at the center of U.S.-China tensions is waging a mysterious legal battle against two D.C. conservatives over a private espionage deal gone bad. The fight touches on a pair of think tanks, a senator』s widow and the capital』s tight-knit group of China hardliners, adding a new chapter to an international saga that has divided the Trump administration and the president』s external allies.
一名身處美中關係核心的富豪，針對一起失敗的私人情報交易問題起訴兩名華盛頓保守派人士。這場官司牽涉到兩個智庫、一名參議員遺孀、對華強硬派，並進一步加劇了特朗普政府與外部盟友的裂痕。
It began when a firm tied to the billionaire, real estate magnate Guo Wengui, allegedly hired a private intelligence firm to dig up dirt on Chinese nationals — including their bank records, porn habits and any illegitimate children — then sued, saying the firm failed to deliver. In turn, the intelligence firm has claimed Guo』s side gave it a thumb drive loaded with sophisticated malware and that he sought information on people whose records were deemed sensitive by the U.S. government.
故事的起因是，地產大亨郭文貴雇傭了一家公司，據稱是為其搜集一些中國人的負面情況，包括他們的銀行賬戶、色情癖好，以及任何私生子。後來，這家公司遭到了郭文貴的起訴，郭表示這家公司未能完成工作。作為回應，這家情報公司聲稱，郭文貴方面曾經給了他們一個裝有惡意軟體的優盤，同時郭文貴試圖挖掘黑幕的那些人員的名單對華盛頓政府非常敏感。
The ongoing suit, the details of which are reported here for the first time, deepens the already considerable mystique surrounding the billionaire businessman. An ally of Steve Bannon』s and a fugitive from Chinese authorities, Guo now lives in New York. His presence in the U.S. has exacerbated tensions between China』s ruling Communist Party and the administration of President Donald Trump. The case also offers a rare behind-the-curtain glimpse at the tactics of 21st century geopolitical intrigue, where it is increasingly common for deep-pocketed clients with political agendas to pay firms with government contacts and cyber know-how to obtain people』s sensitive private information — and then use it to destroy them.
目前正在進行的訴訟的細節首次在此被披露，該訴訟也使得圍繞這個富豪的神秘性進一步加深。他是班農的盟友、是一個與中國體制密切相關的富豪，現在住在紐約。他在美國的存在進一步加劇了中國共產黨和特朗普政府之間的緊張局勢。此案也使得外界可以窺探到21世紀地緣政治領域的隱秘手法，在這個領域內，資金實力雄厚的客戶，為了實現自己的政治目的，往往可以雇傭一些與政府或黑客有聯繫的公司。他們知道如何獲取敏感的隱私內容。這些客戶於是會利用這些信息進行破壞活動。
The details of the suit, which is being waged in federal court in the Southern District of New York, read more like a spy novel than a dry legal document. Guo, who goes by Miles Kwok in the U.S., built a sizable fortune in real estate in China before apparently running afoul of the country』s government and fleeing in 2014. A year later, he came to the U.S., where he is seeking asylum while he lives in an opulent Manhattan apartment and publicizes claims of corruption against Chinese government officials. Since Guo fled to the U.S., the Chinese government has accused him of a raft of crimes, and a former assistant has accused him of rape. Guo has denied the allegations against him, calling them politically motivated. In early 2018, the Guo-linked firm hired Strategic Vision, an obscure company led by
Washington-area executive French Wallop, to dig up information on several targets, whom the suit does not name. According to a court filing by Wallop』s firm, Guo enlisted it, "To perform research and analytics on numerous Chinese Nationals whom Mr. Guo and his undisclosed Chinese associates suspected to be engaged in activities in the United States and elsewhere that are inconsistent with their standing in the Chinese Communist Party and/or the laws of the United States."
目前正在紐約南區聯邦法院開展的訴訟的內容，看起來更像是一部間諜小說，而不是法律材料。郭文貴在美國的名字是Miles Kwok，他在與中國政府發生矛盾並於2014年出逃前，在中國房地產領域賺取了大量財富。一年後，郭文貴來到美國，並尋求政治庇護，在此期間其住在曼哈頓的豪華公寓內，並不斷公布一些中國官員的腐敗傳言。自從郭文貴來到美國后，中國政府就指控郭犯有一系列罪行，而郭文貴的一名前助理指責郭強姦她。郭文貴否認對他的指控，並稱這些指控有政治目的。2018年初，郭的一家公司雇傭了Strategic Vision公司，這是一家華盛頓地區負責人French Wallop運作的隱秘公司。郭文貴雇傭這家公司挖掘一些目標人士的信息，而這些人士的具體名字並沒有在訴訟中被提及。根據Wallop的公司的訴訟材料，郭雇傭該公司，以便「對多名中國人開展研究和分析工作，郭先生和他的未公開姓名的幾名助理懷疑這些中國人涉及在美國等地區的一些活動，而這些活動與中國共產黨的立場不一致，同時/或者不符合美國的法律。」
Wallop was the third wife of Malcolm Wallop, the late Republican senator from Wyoming. In recent years, she has maintained a low profile in Washington, though in the midst of her divorce from the senator in 2000, the Washington Post』s gossip columnist obtained a sharply worded change-of-address note she sent around to friends stating, 「French Wallop regrets to inform you that due to a significant indiscretion on the part of her husband of 16 years, he may now be reached at the following address.」 On her LinkedIn profile, Wallop refers to Strategic Vision as a 「strategic consulting firm.」 In addition to Wallop, J. Michael Waller acted as a representative of Strategic Vision, according to a letter the firm submitted to the court. Waller is a vice president at the far-right Center for Security Policy, a think tank founded by Frank Gaffney, a national security activist known for his conspiratorial hostility to Islam. Waller also served as the ghostwriter for the memoirs of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, according to his website.
Wallop是前懷俄明州參議員Malcolm Wallop的第三任妻子。近年來，她在華盛頓行事低調。2000年，她與Malcolm Wallop離婚，當時《華盛頓郵報》的專欄作家收到了一份措辭嚴厲的修改聯繫地址的聲明，Wallop在聲明中表示，「French Wallop遺憾地通知各位，由於其丈夫16年來的嚴重問題，現在將更改他的聯繫地址。」此外，根據訴訟文件顯示，Wallop, J. Michael Waller也是Strategic Vision公司的代表。Waller是一家名為Center for Security Policy的極右翼智庫的副主席。該智庫的創始人是Frank Gaffney，他是一名國家安全領域的活躍人士，以期對伊斯蘭的敵對立場而聞名。Waller還是黑水創始人Erik Prince回憶錄的代筆。

By late 2017, when Guo was allegedly arranging for the contract, he also became something of a political football as Beijing sought his return to China. Earlier that year, China issued an Interpol red notice for his arrest. Then Chinese officials traveling to the U.S. on transit visas, which did not permit them to conduct government business, visited Guo at his apartment. This prompted a standoff, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, between the Justice Department, which wanted to arrest the Chinese officials, and the State Department, which successfully held the DOJ at bay. Casino magnate Steve Wynn, a longtime Trump confidant with business interests in China, reportedly hand-delivered the president a letter from the Chinese government requesting Guo』s handover, though Wynn』s firm has denied it. Guo』s fate became a subject of heated internal debate within the administration, and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly threatened to resign if the renegade mogul was turned over to China. According to one person who knows the people involved, it was in the context of this battle over his fate that Guo sought dirt on Chinese nationals: He wanted, this person said, to ingratiate himself with U.S. authorities by offering them intelligence, financed from his own fortune, in a bid to show he could be useful.
2017年末，當時郭正在與該公司商討合約問題，此時北京方面正在試圖將其帶回中國，而這也使他成為了一個政治難題。2017年初，中國對郭發布了國際刑警紅色通緝令。此後，幾名中國官員利用過境簽證赴美與郭在其公寓會面。此事被《華爾街日報》報道，同時也造成了司法部和國務院之間的僵局。當時，司法部方面希望逮捕這幾名中國官員，而國務院則成功阻止了司法部。賭場業大亨韋恩是特朗普的親密夥伴，其在中國存在商業利益。據稱，韋恩此前親手向特朗普遞交了一份來自中國政府的信函，內容是要求將郭文貴帶回中國。但是韋恩的公司否認此事。當時，在政府內部，郭文貴的命運成為爭論的焦點，司法部前部長塞申斯據稱還威脅稱，如果這個中國的叛變富豪被引渡回國，他就辭職。根據消息人士透露，郭文貴正是在這個背景下，才開始動用自己的資金挖掘幾名中國人士的黑幕的，並希望通過向美國政府提供情報，討好美國政府，顯示自己的利用價值。
In January 2018, a Hong Kong firm tied to Guo, Eastern Profit, inked a contract with Strategic Vision US. It is rare for the details of private espionage agreements to see the light of day, but Strategic Vision attached its five-page agreement as an exhibit to a counterclaim it lodged in response to the suit. The contract promises $9 million in exchange for a year』s worth of snooping on 10 unnamed individuals — referred to in the document as 「fish」 — calling for details on everything from their movements to financial records to sensitive personal information. That includes details on a 「subject's family, extramarital affairs, children born out of wedlock」 as well as their 「pornography」 and their use of 「『dating』 or sexual services apps.」 According to the Guo-linked firm』s complaint, Strategic Vision said it had a former NSA agent on staff and said it had worked 「for Republican politicians, a Middle Eastern prince and a politician belonging to the opposition party in Russia.」 Guo』s side also alleged that Strategic Vision provided a 「sample report, which appeared to show that Strategic Vision could enter into banking systems and find evidence of money laundering.」 But, the complaint alleges, after Guo advanced Strategic Vision an initial $1 million payment, it discovered the firm did not have the
capabilities it claimed.
2018年1月，郭的一家香港公司Eastern Profit與Strategic Vision美國分公司簽署了一份合約。Strategic Vision公司在訴訟中附上了這5頁合約內容，使得外界可以看到罕見的私人間諜活動合約。根據合約，客戶每年支付900萬美元，獲取10名不具名人士的隱私——文件中這些人士以「魚」的稱呼代替——內容涵蓋這些人士的所有活動，包括金融記錄、敏感的個人信息。比如，家庭、婚外情、私生子，以及涉及色情活動的情況。根據郭名下公司的聲明，Strategic Vision自稱擁有一名前國家安全局特工作為僱員，同時也為「民主黨人士、一位中東王子、俄羅斯反對派服務。」郭文貴方面表示，Strategic Vision還提供了「一份樣本合約，看起來這家公司可以進入銀行系統，找出洗錢的證據。」但是，原告郭文貴方面表示，在郭向Strategic Vision支付100萬美元資金后，發現該公司並不具備其聲稱的那些能力。
Not long after, Eastern Profit sued Strategic Vision. The case remained under seal for several months, keeping it from public view. Though much of the court record has now been unsealed, parts of the case remain under a protective order that prevents sensitive details from being revealed. In a countersuit, Strategic Vision accused Guo and his representatives of a variety of troubling actions. The firm, which denied most of Eastern Profit』s allegations, claimed that when a representative of Guo』s provided a thumb drive with information on his chosen surveillance targets — Chinese officials whom Guo allegedly suspected of wrongdoing — the thumb drive turned out to be loaded with sophisticated malware. After the firm complained, it says it received three new thumb drives from Guo』s side, one of which also contained malware. According to the counter-claim, which has been dismissed without prejudice, Guo was introduced to Strategic Vision by Lianchao Han, a dissident activist and visiting fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute. But, it alleges, Guo later told the firm that Han could not be
trusted. Instead, Guo allegedly told the firm to communicate with his assistant, whom Guo 「oddly advised was a member of the Chinese Communist Party who also could not be trusted.」 Han did not respond to requests for comment.
不久之後，Eastern Profit就起訴了Strategic Vision公司。此案在之後幾個月都未對外界公開。雖然許多案件情況目前已經披露，但是有一部分內容仍然未解密，以防止一些敏感信息遭到泄露。Strategic Vision指責郭文貴及其助手存在一系列不當行為。Strategic Vision否認了大多數指控，並表示郭的一名助手向公司提供包括監控目標人士（郭聲稱其懷疑這些人士存在不當行為）信息的優盤后，公司發現優盤中存在惡意軟體。在公司對此予以抱怨后，又收到了3個優盤，其中一個還是存在惡意軟體。Strategic Vision方面表示，最初是韓連潮向公司引薦郭文貴的，韓是一家保守派智庫哈德遜研究所的訪問學者。但是，Strategic Vision稱，郭此後向公司表示，不能信任韓，並要求公司與郭的一名助手聯繫。但是郭卻奇怪地表示，」這名助手曾經是中國共產黨，也不能信任。「韓沒有對此事進行回應。
The firm also alleged that, when it began researching its targets, it discovered they 「had been designated by the U.S. Department of State under the Obama administration as 『Records Protected』 persons, meaning that information concerning their status and activities was not subject to disclosure under any circumstances. Strategic Vision learned that attempting to research subjects known to be 'Records Protected' could be a criminal activity." It is not clear to what exactly the 「Records Protected」 designation refers. The State Department did not respond to questions about the term, and several former top legal advisers at State said they were not familiar with it. 「I have never heard of a State Department 『records protected』 designation per se,」 wrote Brian Egan, a partner at the law firm Steptoe who served as the department』s top legal adviser at the end of Barack Obama』s administration. 「I am also having a hard time imagining a circumstance in which a private person or company could be prosecuted for merely attempting to research information about a particular individual.」 A lawyer for Eastern Profit, Zachary Grendi, forwarded a request for comment to Daniel Podhaskie, a lawyer for Guo』s family office, who declined to comment. A lawyer for Strategic Vision, Mark Berube, did not respond to requests for comment. Waller declined to comment on the record.
公司還表示，當其開始調查目標人士后，發現這些人士」在奧巴馬政府期間，被國務院歸類為『記錄保護』人士，這意味著這些人士的狀況、活動在任何情況下都不能公開。Strategic Vision獲悉，對這些人士的調查可能是犯罪行為。「目前尚不清楚，」記錄保護「到底意味著什麼。國務院未對此事給予回應，同時幾名前國務院高官也表示對這類事宜不知情。Brian Egan是Steptoe律所的合伙人，該公司在奧巴馬政府末期是國務院的頂級法律顧問。Brian Egan表示，」我從來沒有聽說過『記錄保護』的事情。我也無法想象，個人或公司由於調查特定人員，就會導致犯罪的情況。「Eastern Profit公司的律師Zachary Grendi、郭文貴辦公室的Daniel Podhaskie都拒絕就此進行評論。同時，Strategic Vision公司的律師Mark Berube，以及Waller 也拒絕評論此事。
The circumstances of the lawsuit are just one of the many mysteries swirling around Guo. Many basic details of his biography, including his exact age, remain hazy. He was born roughly 50 years ago, reportedly in the coastal Shandong Province in Eastern China — or, he has claimed, in Jilin Province in the country』s north — and made a fortune in real estate, benefiting from the construction boom around the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. There, he developed a reputation for playing hardball. After clashing with a deputy mayor of Beijing, Guo gave the police a video of the official having sex with his mistress, prompting the man』s arrest and political downfall. Guo appears to owe his rise in part to his relationship with a top official at China』s Ministry of State Security. The official, former vice minister Ma Jian, fell out of favor and was arrested in early 2015 on corruption charges. Two months later, the Chinese outlet Caixin published an expose of Guo, highlighting his ties to the toppled intelligence official. By that point, Guo had already fled China. Since arriving in the U.S., Guo has constantly irritated the ruling party, spouting a steady stream of salacious allegations about corruption and other official wrongdoing. Ensconced in New York, the renegade businessman set up Guo Media to amplify his campaign against the Communist Party and often dispenses his accusations via video livestream while going about his billionaire lifestyle — including from the deck of his $20 million yacht.