United States | News & Politics

During his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Trump’s nominee for FBI director Kash Patel vowed to investigate human trafficking if confirmed. However, a new review from AccountableUS - a rights group - found Patel has profited millions from a company notorious for the practice.

At Issue:

• Patel’s financial disclosure revealed he owns between one and five million dollars in Elite Depot Ltd. stock. Elite Depot is the ultimate controlling party of Shein, the Chinese fast fashion realtor. Patel noted that he could participate in matters related to the financial interests of the company if he received a written waiver from Trump.

• Elite Depot’s board is comprised of Shein executives but also the company’s investors. Two of these investors—IDG Capital and Sequoia Capital—faced scrutiny from lawmakers last year for their reputed ties to the Chinese Communist Party and its military apparatus.

• In recent years, Shein has drawn bipartisan criticism over their business practices, including the use of forced Uyghur labor. Just this week, the Trump administration considered adding Shein to the Department of Homeland Security’s “forced labor” list. In May 2023, members of Congress asked the SEC to require Shein certify that their products did not use forced Uyghur labor. Throughout 2024, politicians, including former senator and current Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senator Tom Cotton, and a coalition of state AGs, stated their concerns about Shein’s business practices.

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