Dems Urge FBI Probe Of Spa Owner Offering Trump Access

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) -- Top Democrats are urging the FBI to investigate a donor to President Donald Trump who is the founder and onetime owner of a spa that has been implicated in a human-trafficking ring.

In a Friday letter to the FBI, Democrats on the House and Senate judiciary and intelligence panels wrote that reports about Li Yang "raise serious counterintelligence concerns."

Yang's company claimed it could provide Chinese clients with a chance to mingle and take photos with Trump, along with access to his private club in Palm Beach.

The Democrats say China has "frequently used non-traditional intelligence collectors and businesspersons to compromise targets." They asked for investigations into potential human trafficking, unlawful lobbying or campaign finance violations.

An FBI spokeswoman says the agency has no comment on the letter.

Yang has become a fixture at Republican events along the East Coast. Over the last few years Yang, who goes by Cindy, has made regular appearances at Republican charity events, political fundraisers and galas.

Pictures on her social media page show her posing with President Trump, his two sons, Eric and Donald Jr., Republican Gover Ron DeSantis, Senator Rick Scott, Sarah Palin, and other high-level Republican operators.

On Super Bowl Sunday, self-made entrepreneur Yang, snapped a selfie of her and President Donald Trump at his Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago in February.

(©2019 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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