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anti trump ad mystery

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BERMAN GROUP QUIETLY RAN ANTI TRUMP ADS UNDER OBSCURE TRADE NAME

https://www.citizensforethics.org/berman-group-quietly-ran-anti-trump-ads-obscure-trade-name/

July 25, 2016

In mid-May, Richard Berman, the infamous president of corporate public relations firm Berman and Company, published an op-ed in TheWashington Times decrying an investigation into the lack of female directors in Hollywood because, in his view, “China’s growing direct and indirect control of soft communications like movies and radio” is a greater concern. Calling the probe of gender bias in the film industry a “domestic comedy,” Berman concluded, “instead, let’s focus on the tragedy that is China’s ongoing control of women’s bodies, USA assets and the movie industry.”

The column was the first in a series of op-eds by Berman about China’s financial interest in American communications industries that culminated this month with the soft announcement of a new Berman project. Of course, Berman being Berman, he didn’t exactly make it clear that he was promoting his own campaign and gave no indication of who was funding it. Instead, in a post on Independent Journal Review, he simply encouraged readers to watch a that would “scare” them about Chinese ownership of American radio stations.

The was hosted on the YouTube page of the Center for American Security, a heretofore unknown entity. The group’s Facebook page, however, gave away the game by initially referring to Berman’s July 1 USA Today op-ed on China as “[o]ur piece” before editing out the reference. The Facebook page also includes a link to a website called China Owns Us, described as “a project of the Center for American Security,” that features a white paper on “China’s Stealth Power Play in the United States.”

The website doesn’t have an “About” page or any actual information about what the Center for American Security is. Is it a new non-profit or just a “project” of one of the pre-existing non-profits Berman uses to do work for his clients? Corporate records reveal that it is technically a separate trade name for the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee, a section 501(c)(4) organization that Berman has used to campaign against the Employee Free Choice Act and President Obama’s health care reformefforts:

It’s unclear what exactly led to Berman’s newfound interest in Chinese ownership of movie theaters and radio stations. He is well-known in Washington, DC for using non-profit groups established and run by his for-profit firm for “shoot the messenger” campaigns on behalf of corporate interests. Berman’s non-profits, which include the Employment Policies Institute and the Center for Organizational Research and Education, have not previously focused on media ownership.

Corporate records also show that the Center for American Security is not the only new project operating out of the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee. Last March, the group also started using the Coalition to Unite America as a trade name. But what is that?

It’s the name Berman placed on digital ads the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee ran attacking Donald Trump this spring. One ad asked whether Trump represented while the other featured about Trump, including asking why he is “such a bully.” Berman once told a room full of energy executives, “If you want a video to go viral, have kids or animals.”

Though the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee reported spending$355,000 on independent expenditures opposing Trump to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), viewers of the actual ads would have had no way of knowing Berman’s group was behind the attacks. Neither the videos nor the website that hosts them, Trump-Truth.org, mention the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee, just the Coalition to Unite America. On the flip side, the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee’s filings with the FEC, which were previously reported on by OpenSecrets, make no mention of the Coalition to Unite America.

In effect, by creating and using multiple trade names, Berman is able to distance his own organization from any backlash over the ads. The viewer wouldn’t know the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee was involved while anyone looking at FEC records wouldn’t be able to go find the actual ads for which the group reported paying because they were put out under the Coalition to Unite America’s name. Only someone checking obscure DC corporate records could make the connection between the two names.

Related Tags: Donald Trump, Elections, Richard Berman

http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-wanda-hollywood-struggles-20170706-story.html

Chinese billionaire rode into town late last year looking like a Hollywood conqueror. What happened?

By RYAN FAUGHNDER, JONATHAN KAIMAN and DAVID PIERSON

JUL 06, 2017 | 3:00 AM

This Chinese billionaire rode into town late last year looking like a Hollywood conqueror. What happened?

Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, speaks in Los Angeles last year. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin arrived in Los Angeles in October to a reception befitting a true Hollywood mogul. Movie business elite packed an auditorium at theLos Angeles County Museum of Art to hear him pitch his new $8-billion filmmaking complex in the coastal city of Qingdao.

Wang's Beijing-based conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group had recently bought movie producer Legendary Entertainment for an eye-popping $3.5 billion and was on the cusp of a deal to pay $1 billion for Dick Clark Productions, the company behind the Golden Globes telecast. It was time, he said, for Hollywood to acknowledge Chinese tastes and preferences.

Today, it's a different picture. Legendary is trying to recover from a series of box-office misfires, and the Dick Clark deal fizzled under heightened scrutiny from Chinese authorities and concern over the price tag. With China's banking regulator last month starting investigations into borrowing for overseas investment by Wanda and other companies, the narrative of Wang as a Hollywood conqueror is looking more like a tale of hubris meeting harsh realities.

At the very least, it's a humbling moment for the 62-year-old former army officer who said he wanted to buy one of the six major studios, a grand pronouncement for a country with few celebrity businessmen.

Wang Jianlin inside his Beijing office in 2012.

Wang Jianlin inside his Beijing office in 2012. (David Pierson / Los Angeles Times)

"Wang's boldness worked wonderfully because it brought deal flow and visibility to his company," said Marc Ganis, co-founder and president of Jiaflix Enterprises, which helps studios distribute movies in China. "But there is something to be said for modesty in China. When the celebrity CEO culture is applied in a culture that values modesty, there's going to be friction."

The Chinese government's scrutiny of its richest companies — part of a broader effort to stem perceived risks to its financial system — comes amid the country's slowest economic growth in years. At the forefront of the concern is debt. In May, Moody's downgraded China's sovereign credit rating for the first time since 1989.

Wanda was very public about what they were doing, and that backfired on them.

A HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER WHO ASKED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS

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The clampdown could have far-reaching consequences for Hollywood, which has been looking to China's wealthy businessmen including Wang to fund its movies and market them in the world's second-largest box-office market.

Government action has been a problem for Wang, who made no secret about his desire to invest in American films and studios.During his visit to Los Angeles to promote his Qingdao studio project, he chastised Hollywood for its reliance on reboots and remakes. "We have to make Hollywood go back to storytelling," he told the crowd.

COMPANY TOWN

Hollywood studios to audit China box office

JUN 27, 2017 | 9:45 AM

Many Hollywood veterans privately grumbled that those statements were reminiscent of past outsiders from countries such as Germany and India who wanted a piece of the action and saw their investments falter. Money and will power aren't the only things in play in Hollywood.

"Wanda was very public about what they were doing, and that backfired on them," said a Hollywood producer who has done work in China but asked to remain anonymous to protect industry relationships.

Wang made his name as a businessman by turning around a state-owned developer in the city of Dalian, and later transforming it into a moneymaking real estate and entertainment enterprise. Wanda is now known for its Wanda Plazas — sprawling developments that include shopping, hotels, restaurants and often movie theaters.

Wanda began its Hollywood buying binge in 2012, with the purchase of AMC Theatres for $2.6 billion. Wanda then successfully used AMC to roll up other circuits including U.S. rival Carmike Cinemas and major European chains, making it the world's biggest theater owner. AMC's stock surged as a result.

But its entries into the content side of the business haven't gone as smoothly. Legendary has suffered recent disappointments including "Warcraft" and "The Great Wall," a $150-million co-production that failed to become a global hit.

"His brand has taken a hit," Stanley Rosen, a political scientist at USC and a China film expert, said of Wang. "He's had problems in both China and the U.S."

The misses triggered management shake-ups. The company is still trying to find a new chief executive after founder Thomas Tull exited in January. Wanda was in advanced talks to bring aboard former Fox film boss Jim Gianopulos to turn Legendary into a full-fledged studio, but he went to lead Paramount Pictures instead.

Jack Gao, Legendary's interim CEO, told Hollywood trade magazine Variety in May that Wanda has committed $1 billion in financing to Legendary to turn it into a major media giant. Legendary production head Mary Parent, a well-respected executive and producer, is leading an ambitious slate that includes the sequels to "Pacific Rim" and "Godzilla."

"Wanda is fully committed to its strategy to invest in and build current and new entertainment assets in international regions including the U.S.," Gao said in a statement. "AMC and Legendary have proven to be strong assets and we look forward to building out those platforms in support of our strategy."

Nonetheless, Wanda had to reconsider its aggressive approach to Hollywood after two of its biggest potential deals fell through. Wanda was close to an agreement to buy 49% of Viacom Inc.-owned Paramount Pictures last year, but that plan was scuttled by Viacom's controlling shareholders.

Then, in November, Wanda said it would pay $1 billion for Dick Clark Productions, which would have been its first purchase of an American TV production company. That deal collapsed in March after the Chinese government and Wanda balked at the asking price.

BUSINESS

Few areas in America haven't seen Chinese investment

APR 25, 2017 | 9:05 AM

The buying spree also sparked a backlash in the United States. U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about Wanda's moves in Hollywood, citing misgivings about the potential influence the communist country could wield over American film and TV content.Wang has long had close ties with the Communist Party elite — a New York Times investigation in 2015 said relatives of several top officials own stakes in his company.

With capital tightening up and no other logical takeover candidates for sale, Wanda has to focus on building its entertainment strategy through Legendary and AMC.

"Money got them into the position of power they're in now. Now it's all about execution," said Los Angeles-based producer and former studio executive Randy Greenberg. "How do they get all those companies to work together? That's what Wanda has to figure out."

In a rare interview with the Financial Times, Wang recently said he would refocus the company on domestic investment.

"The development of domestic business is certainly our main focus," he told the paper, "because China's entertainment market, tourism market, sports market have just begun. These [domestic] areas must be the focus of our investment."

For example, the company just opened its new Harbin Wanda City, a sprawling cultural tourism project in northeast China with an outdoor theme park and the world's largest indoor ski resort.

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Center for American Security

January 4, 2017 ·

The AMC-Carmike deal is America’s new red scare. And this one is real.

Chinese conglomerate poised to take over U.S. movie theaters

In 2017, America will likely have a new leader in movie theaters.

WASHINGTONTIMES.COM

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December 28, 2016 ·

“What I’m trying to do is stop somebody else from managing the culture here,” Berman says.

Merger of Two U.S. Theater Chains Heats Up Anti-Chinese Concerns

By Ed Diokno AMC Entertainment Holdings has taken a giant step to becoming the world's largest exhibitor heating up anti-Chinese sentiment by…

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December 22, 2016 ·

"The AMC-Carmike tie-up faced resistance on several fronts, first from Carmike investors who thought the deal undervalued the company and then from a Washington lobbyist and some politicians who see Chinese investments in U.S. media holdings as “soft-power” plays."

AMC Closes Deal to Buy Carmike Cinemas

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. is now officially the nation’s largest movie theater chain. The exhibitor said Wednesday it had closed its $1.1 billion acquisition of Carmike Cinemas Inc., a tie-up that unseats Regal Entertainment Group for the…

WSJ.COM

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Center for American Security

December 21, 2016 ·

“The Department of Justice decision will surely be celebrated by China’s Communist elites, who have close ties to Dalian Wanda and are more interested in on-screen messages than selling popcorn, candy, and drinks,” Berman said in the statement.

AMC-Carmike Merger Gets DOJ Approval, Will 'Almost Certainly' Close Before Year-End

Settlement with Department of Justice will require combined chain to divest theaters in 15 markets

THEWRAP.COM

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Center for American Security

December 12, 2016 ·

"All of his acquisitions had employees before he engaged in buying them,” added Rick Berman. “These are not new jobs nor are they dependent on his ownership. In fact, the profits from these acquisitions will flow to Communist China, not to U.S. interests or stockholders

Wanda Chairman Warns Trump: 20k US Jobs at Risk

"If something goes wrong, these 20,000-plus people might be out of jobs," says Wanda Group's Wang Jianlin of potential Trump restrictions

THEWRAP.COM

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Center for American Security

December 8, 2016 ·

"We need to ask if we should give CFIUS extra authority to review the proposed takeover of media, agriculture, financial assets, infrastructure -- soft power institutions that were not considered an issue during the Cold War," Representative Robert Pittenger of North Carolina said.

Mnuchin’s Foreign Takeover Weapon Gives Leverage Over China

A U.S. government panel that reviews foreign takeovers of American companies could become a tool for Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin to get tough…

BLOOMBERG.COM

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Center for American Security

December 7, 2016 ·

"From production to distribution, Chinese companies are increasing their stakes in one of the crown jewels of U.S. industry."

American Movies Should Not Have to Be Approved by Bureaucrats in Beijing

As Chinese companies increase their involvement in Hollywood, Washington should review the trend with a view toward curbing Beijing’s quest for soft power.

NATIONALREVIEW.COM

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Gene H. Dreher

Gene H. Dreher Not Beijing, not Washington and not the White House. (If you haven't seen the Obama White House in action, watch a recent episode of the once good program NCIS. )

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Center for American Security

December 5, 2016 ·

The Center for American Security fears that Dalian Wanda could use its theater screens to subtly influence people's views about the U.S. and China. Richard Berman compares political messages in movies to a can of Coca-Cola sitting on the table in a film, or James Bond driving an Aston Martin.

Shadowy forces are fighting for control of your local movie theater

A Chinese company is building the world’s largest theater chain. A lobbyist nicknamed “Dr. Evil” is trying to stop them.

WASHINGTONPOST.COM

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Joe Eldred

Joe Eldred Where in the constitution is the federal government empowered to decide who can own what? While I don't think it is, I could understand perhaps wanting to keep non-allied nations from owning key defense industries, but movie theaters? Are Chinese restaurants also a threat to national security?

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Center for American Security

December 1, 2016 ·

“Despite a WTO ruling against China’s restrictive policies, U.S. filmmakers can still only distribute a small capped number of censored movies in China every year,” Sen. Schumer wrote.

Chuck Schumer Latest to Weigh in on China's Hollywood Invasion

Sen. Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Washington regulators calling for further review, singling out China's Dalian Wanda Group

THEWRAP.COM

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Center for American Security

December 1, 2016 ·

“While China’s government has aggressively pursued policies that encourage strategic acquisition in the U.S., U.S. companies continue to face steep barriers to market access in China,” Sen. Schumer wrote.

China’s Wanda Group Faces Renewed Scrutiny

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer is calling for increased scrutiny of China’s ambitions in Hollywood and other sectors, lending a critical new voice to a cause championed by President-elect Donald Trump.

WSJ.COM

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Center for American Security

November 28, 2016 ·

Wang Jianlin's closeness with the Communist Party along with his day-to-day. hands on approach to production, should concern regulators.

Federal regulators should reject AMC-Carmike deal

The underlying concern lies not on anti-trust grounds, but rather AMC’s ownership.

THEHILL.COM

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Center for American Security

November 21, 2016 ·

With the upcoming acquisition of Carmike by AMC, China is set to control the largest chain of theatres in America. But is that a good thing?

Learn more at http://bit.ly/ChinaOwnsUs

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Barbara Hardin Very thought-provoking!

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Center for American Security

November 15, 2016 ·

"While American law prevents the vertical integration of movie production and distribution, Washington has failed to apply the same measures to the Communist-sponsored Dalian Wanda and its ability to influence the movie industry."

Carmike Shareholders Agree to $1.2 Billion AMC Merger

Carmike Cinemas shareholders on Tuesday approved the merger agreement with AMC Theatres, valued at $1.2 billion.

THEWRAP.COM

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Center for American Security

November 15, 2016 ·

"The American public should be aware of how the Chinese government is expanding its sphere of influence overseas."

Carmike Shareholders Approve AMC’s $1.2 Billion Takeover

Carmike shareholders approved a deal on Tuesday for the theater chain to sell itself to AMC Entertainment for $1.2 billion. The combined company will be the largest…

VARIETY.COM

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Center for American Security

November 12, 2016 · ·

"Richard Berman has waged a campaign against AMC’s controlling stakeholder, Wanda, which includes opinion articles, lobbying Congress, and paying for billboards that refer to AMC as “China’s Red Puppet.” He also has organized demonstrations outside some Carmike theaters."

AMC Poised to Become World’s Largest Movie Chain

Shareholders are set to vote Tuesday on a $1.2 billion deal for AMC to acquire Carmike Cinemas. If that is cleared, and combined with AMC’s $650 million purchase of Europe’s Odeon & UCI Cinemas, AMC’s theatrical footprint would expand to…

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Center for American Security

November 10, 2016 · ·

With its buying spree of Hollywood companies, Wanda may violate U.S. antitrust law.

In Conquering Hollywood, China's Wanda Group Doesn't Play by the Rules

The Chinese regime's growing influence over Hollywood is different from the rise of any other power in any industry. It is not being done through quality p

THEEPOCHTIMES.COM

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Center for American Security

November 4, 2016 · ·

"I think Wang is being reckless…and not being very politic about this at all."

China’s Wanda Group to Buy Dick Clark Productions for About $1 Billion

China’s Dalian Wanda Group Co. is acquiring Dick Clark Productions Inc. for about $1 billion, the company announced Thursday, marking the Chinese conglomerate’s…

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Center for American Security

October 16, 2016 · ·

“The frenzy of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and the era of blindly following them have passed,” Mr. Wang said on state television in May.

Dalian Wanda of China Offers a Carrot to Hollywood

The Chinese conglomerate wants to be an entertainment superpower, and it would like to start by getting more American movies made in China.

NYTIMES.COM

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Center for American Security

October 4, 2016 · ·

The United States’ entertainment industry is a monument to free expression; as such, it is an element of this nation’s “soft power” and should not be sold off unquestioningly to foreign interests that do not share the United States’ commitment to artistic freedom.

Beijing’s next propaganda outlet: Hollywood?

A Chinese conglomerate is gaining control of America’s entertainment industry.

WASHINGTONPOST.COM|BY WASHINGTON POST OPINIONS, OUTLOOK, AND POSTEVERYTHING

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Center for American Security

September 29, 2016 · ·

“Chinese control of movie production, radio station broadcasts, and other public channels provides the Chinese government with a platform to promote its own ideological message in the place of competing ideologies — often in an unassuming manner."

Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin makes aggressive moves in Hollywood

China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, has been on a buying spree in Hollywood.

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Center for American Security

July 21, 2016 · ·

Protesters are hitting a movie theater in Times Square.

Find out why.

AMC theater in Times Square will see protest over Carmike merger

New York advocacy lawyer Richard Berman says concerns stem from China-based Dalian Wanda Group’s controlling ownership of AMC Entertainment Holdings,…

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Center for American Security

September 14, 2016 · ·

"By controlling the financing and distribution of American movies, and subjecting them to censorship to gain access to the Chinese market, Beijing could effectively dictate what is and isn’t made."

Will China soon control American movies?

China is pouring money into Western media outlets. That means censorship could follow.

WASHINGTONPOST.COM

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Center for American Security

November 6, 2016 · ·

"[Dalian Wanda] isn't trying to corner the popcorn market."

Small Business Advocate Interview

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Center for American Security

November 3, 2016 · ·

A Chinese billionaire with ties to the Communist Party snatches up its first American television company.

Dick Clark Productions to Be Sold to Chinese Company for $1 Billion

The sale to Dalian Wanda, which has been on a buying spree, would include broadcasting rights to the Golden Globes and other TV spectacles.