A new article by the online publication The Intercept is raising ethical questions about the business dealings of Former Washington Governor Gary Locke.
The article questions whether an international business group, for which Locke is an adviser, unfairly benefited from a business deal back in 2013.
According to Property records, Locke sold his home just outside Washington D.C. to the Chinese family that controls the American Pacific International Inc. also known as APIC, while Locke was serving as U.S. Ambassador to China.
The article questions whether the sale led to APIC having unfair influence and opportunities in American politics.
Gary Locke did not respond to our request for comment. His spokesperson, Roger Nyhus, provided KING 5 a written statement in response to the article says it, "paints a picture that is distorted and inaccurate."
In the statement, Nyhus wrote:
"Mr. Locke complied with government requirements when reporting his home sale. Mr. Locke did not help the company with any issues with the U.S. government while he was U.S. commerce secretary or U.S. ambassador to China.
Mr. Locke first met APIC in the summer of 2008 when he worked with Seattle law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine, and attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a soybean factory in China with other DWT attorneys at the request of APIC, a client of the firm. It was there in China that he first met Mr. Tang, and Mr. Locke did not meet him again until the fall of 2014 after he had left government service.
Mr. Locke listed his D.C. house through a broker. Wilson Chen, president of APIC, heard about it while playing golf with Davis Wright Tremaine folks. Mr. Chen said he knew someone who would be interested in buying the house. It turned out to be his sister. It's important to point out that APIC is an American company, and Wilson Chen, president of APIC, is an American citizen.
Mr. Locke had no contact with Mr. Tang after the ribbon-cutting ceremony until the fall of 2014. Also, the Tangs are permanent residents of Singapore.
Mr. Locke occasionally golfed over the years with DWT lawyers and Wilson Chen, a DWT client.
Through his consulting business, Mr. Locke currently serves solely as an adviser to APIC on real estate investments in the Pacific Northwest, which began in the fall of 2014 months after he left public office and returned home to Seattle."
