As Governor, Asa Hutchinson recruited multiple Chinese companies to locate operations in Arkansas. Not coincidentally, those same companies hired his son as their attorney. In yet another example of the CCP’s strategy of “elite capture,” the employment scheme involving Asa Hutchinson’s son, Asa Hutchinson III has echoes of Hunter Biden’s Chinese dealings. The son of an influential elected official who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction somehow comes into money from Chinese benefactors seeking influence and favor from the government.
Just as Hunter Biden accompanied his father to China to make business deals, Asa Hutchinson III tagged along on a state trade mission to China with his father.
He posted photos on social media of himself with his father and the official state delegation at the American Ambassador’s residence and with Chinese company officials who were also his clients.
In a comment about the trip on LinkedIn, Asa Hutchinson III said, “Arkansas and Jiangsu Province have much in common.” Interestingly, the same week that the Arkansas delegation visited Jiangsu Province, religious freedom website Bitter Winter published this headline, “Jiangsu Province Launches New Crackdown on Christianity.” So, while Governor Asa Hutchinson was cementing business deals with CCP officials in Jiangsu, the CCP was shutting down churches there on Xi Jinping’s orders.
The Governor has claimed that he has nothing to do with his son’s business, yet he is listed as the founder of Asa Hutchinson Law Group and graces the front page of their website.
Chinese companies listed as clients on the Asa Hutchinson Law Group website include Risever Machinery in Jonesboro, Arkansas; Dragon Woodland, a forestry company in West Helena; and Tianyuan (TY) Garments USA, an apparel company located at the Little Rock Port. All of these companies were personally recruited by Governor Hutchinson and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and financially benefited from state business incentives. The governor’s son also worked with WY Hengli USA, another company his father visited in China.
Local news reporters asked about this obvious conflict of interest several years ago, but it never became a national story. Like Joe Biden, Governor Hutchinson denied any involvement or connection to his son’s business, even though his son had accompanied him on an official trade mission to China with state economic development officials.
Asked about a potential conflict of interest, Asa Hutchinson III said, “"These clients did not hire me because my father is Governor. They engaged my legal services because of my reputation in the profession and in their communities….” His “reputation” in the legal community, however, has been tainted by the fact that he has had multiple arrests for alcohol and drug violations in the past few years, including one earlier this year.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Hutchinson III is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.The amount of money paid to Asa Hutchinson III by these Chinese companies has never been disclosed. Hutchinson has also never filed a registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.