A California family that made its fortune operating McDonald’s franchises donated more than $4.4 million to Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and other prominent California politicians, records show. The Yin family’s giving is now drawing fresh scrutiny because of alleged past ties to Christine Fang, the suspected Chinese spy, and to officials connected to the Chinese government’s foreign influence operations.
The family patriarch, Chei Chen Yin, commonly known as C.C. Yin, is described in newly declassified FBI files as a one-time professional associate of Fang through an organization he co-founded called Asian Pacific American Public Affairs, or APAPA. National security experts say they have also documented alleged interactions between C.C. Yin’s brother, Henry Yin, and the United Front, the Chinese government’s foreign influence wing.
Millions in Donations to Newsom, Harris and Others
State and federal campaign records show the Yin family donated nearly $3 million to California state political causes and an additional $1,455,027 to federal campaigns, directly and through C.C. Yin’s McDonald’s franchise business. Among the recipients, Newsom’s past campaigns received $364,817, along with $80,000 to his 2019 inauguration committee and $50,000 to a nonprofit at Newsom’s direction.
Harris’s campaigns received $214,300 between 2019 and 2024. California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis received $221,700 between 2018 and 2025, and former state Treasurer John Chiang’s campaigns received $115,680. Newsom’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. C.C. Yin, 89, told CBS News: “I love America, and I strongly condemn any effort by any foreign government to interfere in American politics or undermine our democracy.
FBI Files and the Christine Fang Connection
FBI files declassified by the White House in August describe Christine Fang as a point of contact for APAPA. In FBI interviews, former California congressman Eric Swalwell, who had a sexual relationship with Fang before she fled to China in 2015, identified her as his APAPA contact and said a top official directed him to her. That official’s name is redacted in the files, but two sources familiar with the documents told CBS News it refers to C.C. Yin. According to the Yin family’s political donations and China ties, Fang also appeared alongside both C.C. Yin and Henry Yin at an APAPA event in 2013, in a photo posted on Facebook by a City of Cupertino official.
APAPA president Kris Concepcion said in a statement that “current leadership is not aware of Fang Fang ever holding an official role with the national organization,” adding that “like hundreds, or even thousands, of other community members who attend public events, being photographed with APAPA members does not mean she was an officer, board member, employee or representative of APAPA.” No evidence has emerged that either Yin brother knew about Fang’s alleged espionage.
Henry Yin’s Ties to the United Front and Ro Khanna
Jacqueline Deal, a board member of State Armor, a company that helps lawmakers detect foreign influence operations, told CBS News she found Chinese media reports of Henry Yin attending at least 10 events in China hosted by United Front officials since 2013. One 2015 article described him as a “designated contact person for California-China economic, trade, scientific and technological interaction.” A 2013 report said he was offered the title “Overseas Talent Recruitment Adviser for Sichuan Province,” though there is no evidence he accepted the offer.
Henry Yin also served as an adviser to California congressman Ro Khanna, who sits on the House Select Committee on the CCP. A 2019 Facebook post by Khanna announced that “Henry will serve as my Senior Advisor on Foreign Trade and Economic Development.” Khanna’s communications director Sarah Drory later told CBS News that Henry Yin “served for a year as one of dozens of volunteer leaders.” Yin’s LinkedIn page, which listed a current advisory role with Khanna beginning in 2019, has since been deleted. Neither Henry Yin nor C.C. Yin has been accused by U.S. law enforcement of working as a foreign agent or acting against American interests.
University of Miami professor June Teufel Dreyer cautioned that political donations, advisory roles and travel to China for business could be entirely innocent, telling CBS News: “There’s really nothing wrong with successful Chinese entrepreneurs wanting to help out the economies of the country they originally came from.” Cheryl Yu of The Jamestown Foundation offered a different perspective, warning that “this is how the United Front works. They build these friendly, long-term relationships, then at some point they make requests.” The spotlight on the Yin family is likely to intensify as Newsom is among those expected to seek the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, making the question of foreign influence in his political orbit a continuing story.
