Elaine Chao held Chinese Communist Party positions during her time in Cabinet, report claims

A new bombshell report has revealed shocking new details about Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao.

Chao, 73, who married Sen. McConnell in 1993, may have closer ties to the Chinese Communist Party than previously believed.

'Such a suggestion disregards her nearly five decades of faithful service to the United States and is both unfounded and deeply insulting, hurtful, and racist.'

On Tuesday, the Daily Caller News Foundation published an exclusive report on Chao's alleged ties to the CCP, citing Chinese government and state media reports translated by the DCNF.

Elaine Chao, whose Chinese name is reportedly Zhao Xiaolan, has worked in high-level positions in the United States government under two Republican administrations, most notably serving as President George W. Bush's secretary of labor and the Department of Transportation secretary during President Trump's first term in office.

However, the DCNF claims Chao has also received at least four Chinese government positions since 2008, including within an influence and intelligence agency called the United Front Work Department.

The extent to which she ever worked in these alleged roles is unclear. The DCNF claimed that the Chinese government and state media reports "describe Chao’s appointments in various ways, with some stating she had been 'hired' or had 'accepted an appointment letter,' while others simply note that she was then among those 'holding' a given title."

According to a report published by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the UFWD is used to "gain access to advanced foreign technology" and is "one of the CCP's ways of building and wielding political power at home and abroad."

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The DCNF, citing Chinese government and state media reports, also reported that Chao's late sister, Angela Chao, and her father, James S.C. Chao, the founder of a large shipping firm called Foremost Group, also received positions in the Chinese government and UFWD positions.

During the late 1980s, Elaine Chao served as the chair and commissioner of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, whose mission statement is to "ensure a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation supply system that supports the U.S. economy and protects the public from unfair and deceptive practices."

A spokesman for Chao and Foremost Group, Patrick O'Connor, denied these reports concerning Chao, her father, and her sister.

“She has never held a position with a foreign government or acted on behalf of one. We are not aware she has met with representatives from UFWD entities,” O’Connor said after being sent what the Caller claimed were "Chinese government and state media photos published between 2010 and 2026 showing Chao meeting with officials from the CCP and/or UFWD."

“Such a suggestion disregards her nearly five decades of faithful service to the United States and is both unfounded and deeply insulting, hurtful and racist.”

The DCNF pressed the spokesperson on how it is "racist" to investigate Chao's alleged ties to the Chinese government.

“No one seems to care when most American business or political leaders hold meetings in China, so it’s suspicious when the Daily Caller makes insinuations about a former two-time cabinet secretary of Asian descent, especially based on photos, some of which are decades old,” O’Connor responded. “The secretary is a proud American who has devoted most of her professional life to serving the American people. To question her patriotism is a double standard, at best — racist, at worst.”

Chao was born in Taiwan and obtained U.S. citizenship at the age of 19.

The DCNF revealed that in February 2005, during her time as President George W. Bush's secretary of labor, Chao reportedly sent a handwritten reply and signed photo to the Jiading District Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese after receiving a Christmas card from the organization. These returned overseas Chinese organizations are guided by the UFWD.

Questions about Elaine Chao have resurfaced after her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, had a health scare in June 2026. Questions have continued to swirl regarding his health and whereabouts, as he is expected to return to the Senate any day.

Blaze News reached out to McConnell's office but did not immediately receive a response. McConnell's office declined a request for comment from the DCNF.

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