Compass Colorado calls on the Colorado Democrat Party to return donation from Chamath Palihapitiya

For Immediate Release
January 19, 2022

DENVER, CO – Today Compass Colorado called on the Colorado Democratic Party to return the $10,000 contribution they received from CEO of Social Capital Chamath Palihapitiya.

Palihapitiya, the billionaire venture capitalist and part-owner of the Golden State Warriors told a podcast he did not care about the plight of the Chinese Uyghur minority.

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs. You bring it up because you really care, and I think that’s nice that you care, the rest of us don’t care,” Palihapitiya said.

“I’m telling you a very hard, ugly truth, okay? Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.”

The Chinese Communist Party has been credibly accusedby the United States and other nations of committing genocide against the Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province.

The Biden administration recently announced a diplomatic boycott of this year’s Winter Olympics in China over the CCP’s human rights abuses against the Uyghurs.

Palihapitiya, a liberal megadonor, gave the Colorado Democratic Party $10,000 and $250,000 to the Biden campaign in 2020.

How much Colorado Democrats care about the systemic mass detention of Uyghurs appears to be an open question.

Now-Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Michael Bennet were the only Senators running for president who did not initially co-sponsor the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in January of 2019.

Former Sen. Cory Gardner was an original co-sponsor of the legislation introduced by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Harris subsequently added her name as a cosponsor in July of 2019, and Bennet waited almost an entire year before doing so himself the following December.

If you’re covering Palihapitiya’s $10,000 donation to the Colorado Democratic Party, please consider the following quote from Compass Colorado.

Compass Colorado is calling on the Colorado Democratic Party to return the donation they received from Chamath Palihapitiya,” said Compass Colorado Executive Director Kyle Kohli.

Democrats cannot look the other way and legitimize China’s campaign of torture and genocide against the Uyghurs.

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