Rogers can’t run away from his toxic record of selling out Michigan and our national security to China

LANSING — While Mike Rogers is desperate to cover up his toxic record of selling out Michigan and our national security to China, the facts are clear: Rogers has “gained hundreds of thousands of dollars in wealth through companies that have partnered with Chinese firms” and “personally benefited from his connections to China in opposition to U.S. national security interests.”

Here’s what you need to know about Mike Rogers enriching himself at Michiganders’ expense: 

• “Rogers has made criticizing China a centerpiece of his campaign for the Senate, but the GOP candidate and his wife have gained hundreds of thousands of dollars in wealth through companies that have partnered with Chinese firms.”

• Rogers worked at “AT&T, a company that drew criticism, around that same time, from federal lawmakers for its connections with Huawei,” and “the U.S. House of Representatives, citing Rogers’ investigation, urged AT&T to abandon the deal [with Huawei].”

• Rogers’ former staffers lobbied for AT&T at the same time, while the company was looking to expand business with Huawei. 

• Rogers made “hundreds of thousands of dollars” working at Nokia. “During Rogers’ tenure with Nokia, the company has conducted extensive business deals with Chinese tech companies like Huawei.”

• Rogers’ work is “a stark example of how the so-called ‘revolving door’ — where lawmakers, staffers, and other officials capitalize on their experience as they move between the public and private sectors — can fuel the explosion of immense wealth after years in public service.”

• Rogers has refused to say how much money he made working for AT&T and ”his campaign wouldn’t release the figure.”

• Even Republicans have criticized Rogers’ financial ties to U.S. adversaries, calling him an “unprincipled career politician” who “should be disqualified from ever taking office” because of his “selfish pattern of using political influence to personally profit.”

Read more: Detroit News: Mike Rogers targets China in Senate campaign, but his own connections draw criticism; Heartland Signal: Michigan Senate candidate spews anti-China rhetoric despite working to expand Chinese companies and personal wealth; American Journal News: Mike Rogers’ ties to Chinese telecom giants fuel hypocrisy scandal; American Journal News: Michigan Republican Mike Rogers has repeatedly dodged questions about his work at AT&T; Business Insider: 9 years through the revolving door: How the GOP’s top Senate recruit in Michigan got rich after leaving Congress.