US Senator Daines: KMT Chairwoman Met Staff, Not Me

Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Hsu Chih-jung claimed to have met nine U.S. lawmakers during her visit to Washington in early June. She publicized the names of several, including Senator Steve Daines, on Facebook.

However, Daines directly contradicted this in an interview with the South China Morning Post, stating that Hsu met his staff, not him, due to a scheduling conflict. He explained that he does not attend all daytime meetings arranged by his team, which is why he could not meet her.

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She met my staff, not me.

This revelation follows earlier reports. Jiang Ming-hsin, executive director of the non-profit Hello Taiwan, told this newspaper that Daines had informed him he did not meet Hsu, but rather her aide. At the time, KMT Culture and Communications Committee Chairman Chen Yi-hsin declined to comment.

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I don't attend all the daytime meetings that my team sets up, which is why I wasn't able to meet her.

Hsu had previously stated on Facebook that she visited offices of nine important lawmakers from both the Senate and House, covering military and foreign affairs committees. She later revised this number to ten, including one she spoke with by phone in Los Angeles after not meeting them in Washington. When asked directly if Daines was among the ten, Hsu did not provide a direct answer, only saying that all names that could be released had been.

Chen Yi-hsin has since stated that the KMT finds the matter not worth responding to.

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not worth responding to