2022: Lee Called Accusations That She Had Investments In A Chinese Company “Wholesale Made Up” And “Nonsense.” According to Florida Politics, “Cohn raised the issue for the first time at a televised debate hosted by Bay News 9 and the Tampa Bay Times. Lee and Cohn are both running for an open seat representing Florida’s 15th Congressional District. ‘She and her husband are major investors in a Chinese company that is owned by a member of the Chinese Communist Party,’ Cohn said. Lee immediately denied that. ‘What Mr. Cohn just had to say about my family and the Chinese Communist Party is wholesale made up,’ she said, later accusing Cohn of bringing ‘nonsense and false allegations against me’ to the debate.” [Florida Politics, 10/22/22]
2022: Lee’s Personal Financial Disclosure Showed That She And Her Husband Owned Up To $250,000 In Alibaba, A Chinese E-Commerce Company. According to Florida Politics, “Lee’s financial disclosure shows she and her husband, former Florida Senate President Tom Lee, own between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of Alibaba stock. She also lists assets in a short position as of mid-September, indicating a belief the stocks may be overvalued. The Republican’s campaign downplayed the matter, and said the stock does not belong to the candidate in the first place.” [Florida Politics, 10/22/22]
January 2024: Lee Drew Attention When She Reported Her Spouse’s Sale Of Up To $250,000 In Alibaba Stock Shares Given Lee’s Public Comments About China And Her Position On The Homeland Security Subcommittee On Cybersecurity And Infrastructure Protection. According to NASDAQ, "What Happened: Many members of Congress sit on Congressional committees that could provide information on contract awards won by companies, new policy changes and more, and this information is sometimes the root of calls for red flags on trading activity by Congress members. A disclosure on Quiver Quant‘s Congress trading dashboard shows Lee and her husband, former Florida state Sen. Tom Lee, selling $100,000 to $250,000 in Alibaba shares Dec. 29. The trade was disclosed on Jan. 4. The trade could have been made for a number of reasons, including year-end tax selling, but has drawn attention due to Lee's public comments on China and her position on the Committee on Homeland Security’s subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection. ‘Representative Laurel Lee just disclosed a sale of up to $250K of stock in the Chinese company Alibaba. Lee sits on the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity,’ Quiver Quant tweeted. The tweet from Quiver Quant drew the attention of former Congressman and now social media influencer/content creator George Santos. ‘Lee had those stocks before going to Congress,’ Santos said. ‘And I applaud her for dumping it … maybe she's distancing herself from anything with ties to the CCP?’ UnusualWhales also highlighted the trade in a tweet. ‘Here's a funny Congressional trade. New Republican Rep Laurel Lee has been openly critical of China. Interestingly though, her spouse sold $250k in $BABA, a Chinese tech company,’ UnusualWhales tweeted." [NASDAQ, 1/10/24]