NRSC ad puts Dem rep on blast for signing hush agreement involving CCP-tied company

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Chinese-backed EV battery plant project creates firestorm among Michigan residents

Michigan resident Jeff Thorne and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon (R) weigh in on a Chinese-backed EV battery plant sparking outrage among state residents.

FIRST ON FOX: The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) released a scathing new ad slamming Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., for signing a hush agreement to engage in off-the-record discussions about a Chinese-backed project.

The NRSC ad, first shared with Fox News Digital, argued that voters shouldn't trust Slotkin — who announced in February that she would run to replace outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2024 — due to the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she entered into involving Gotion, a subsidiary of the Hefei, China-based Gotion High-Tech. 

"Can we trust a politician who makes secret business deals with companies backed by the Chinese Communist Party? Of course not," the NRSC ad states. "But that's what Elissa Slotkin did." 

"Here are the facts," it continued. "Slotkin secretly tried to help a controversial Chinese company secure a business deal. Then, she signed a contract to conceal her involvement. What's Slotkin hiding? She won't say. Tell Elissa Slotkin it's time to come clean. Stop covering up deals with Communist China."

DEM CONGRESSWOMAN SILENT ON WHY SHE SIGNED HUSH AGREEMENT INVOLVING CHINESE TECH COMPANY

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., signed a non-disclosure agreement to engage in discussions about the Chinese-backed project despite it not being located in her district. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Earlier this month, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Slotkin and a high-level staffer signed an NDA with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) allowing them to be privy to negotiations about Gotion's proposed electric vehicle factory in Big Rapids, Michigan. The Gotion factory would be located outside of Slotkin's congressional district.

The project — which has been enthusiastically supported by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, MEDC and other state agencies — has faced increasing scrutiny as a result of Gotion's ties to the Chinese Communist Party. According to its corporate bylaws, Gotion High-Tech is required to "carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China."

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Critics have also scrutinized how the Whitmer administration has required stakeholders to sign NDAs to discuss the project, effectively keeping much of the details about it out of public view. 

"Elissa Slotkin needs to explain to Michigan voters why she signed a non-disclosure agreement with a company connected to the Chinese Communist Party," NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud said in a statement.

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has touted the Gotion project for its forecasted economic impact. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

And, on April 4, two former U.S. ambassadors with the Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group asked the Department of Justice to open a federal investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration (FARA) related to the five-year NDAs signed as part of the Gotion negotiations. 

They argued officials may need to register under FARA "on account of their direct agreements and engagements" with Gotion.

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"The State of Michigan, the MEDC, The Right Place and others advocating for Gotion have said they do not know anything about national security when it comes to this project," one of the ambassadors, Joseph Cella, told Fox News Digital on April 20. "Congresswoman Slotkin is a former CIA analyst and Defense Department official who knows that state and local officials were warned by our intelligence agencies not to sign deals with PRC-based companies with ties to the CCP."

"It is shocking that rather than helping educate the Whitmer Administration and other parties why to end their support of this project because of its national security threat, Congresswoman Slotkin signed a non-disclosure agreement and looked the other way," Cella added.

Meanwhile, despite widespread criticism of Gotion's proposal, in a slim 10-9 vote last week, the Michigan state Senate Appropriations Committee gave the final stamp of approval for granting Gotion $175 million in direct taxpayer funding to help build the facility. The vote only received support from Democratic lawmakers on the panel and three Democrats voted against it alongside every Republican committee member.