NRSC attacks Dem representative over China factory deal

NRSC attacks Democratic representative over China factory deal

The campaign ad attacks Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Senate
It accuses her of helping a Chinese company build a factory in Michigan
Slotkin denies having signed an NDA that covered the Gotion project

Updated: Apr 28, 2023 / 06:03 PM CDT

This story has been corrected to reflect Rep. Slotkin did not sign a nondisclosure agreement related to the Gotion plant.

(NewsNation) —With the 2024 election still more than a year away, a new campaign ad from the National Republican Senate Committee is accusing Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., of having secret deals with China. Sources close to Slotkin are denying the accusation and say she is planning on fighting back against the ad.

The new ad claims Slotkin secretly helped a Chinese company get a business deal and signed a deal to hide her involvement. Slotkin announced she will be running for Senate in 2024, hoping to fill the seat currently occupied by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is retiring.

Sources close to Slotkin told NewsNation the only NDA she signed was in relation to a General Motors plant already under construction. The source says she had no involvement in any part of the discussions around Chinese company Gotion’s efforts to build a factory in Michigan.

Gotion recently received $175 million to open a factory in Michigan. The company produces components for electric vehicle batteries and has said the factory will bring more than 2,000 jobs to the area.

But residents in Green Charter Township, Michigan, objected to the plant, which is being built near a military training facility. Residents said they fear the company’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party and claim Gotion isn’t being honest about the jobs it will bring.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer required stakeholders in the deal to sign nondisclosure agreements, limiting their ability to discuss the project. One staffer on Slotkin’s staff, Austin Girelli, did sign an NDA, described as “all-encompassing,” which included but was not specific to Gotion.

An email exchange from January 2022, which included the NDA Slotkin signed, specifically showed her office was interested in discussing the GM plant, with no mention of Gotion.

NRSC spokeswoman Maggie Abboud defended the ad to NewsNation.

“Elissa Slotkin acknowledged signing an NDA related to the Gotion project negotiations. It is bizarre, but not surprising, that she’s now trying to cover up her involvement in this sketchy deal with a company connected to the Chinese Communist Party,” Abboud said in a statement.