Bribery Attempt Exposed Chinese Influence Network in US; In-Depth Journalist Reveals the Real Target

Why would the Chinese Communist Party bother trying to bribe an IRS agent over a dance company's nonprofit status?

In this episode of “Bay Area Innovators,” host Steve Ispas sits down with Steve Lance, NTD's Washington bureau chief and executive producer of the documentary “Unbroken: The Untold Story of Shen Yun.” What began as a look into the New York Times' unusual amount of coverage of Shen Yun became an in-depth look into how foreign influence operations can work through American institutions.

Lance walks through the protest outside Lincoln Center where demonstrators couldn't explain what they were handing out, the man in the shadows resupplying their signs, and how that trail led to a leaked Chinese intelligence memo, a bribery attempt on an undercover FBI agent, and the case that was ultimately linked to the indictment of a sitting California mayor.

He also discusses related events he sees happening in Silicon Valley today, from university associations to algorithmic influence.

Watch the full episode for the story behind “Unbroken” and what it revealed about a much larger operation.