WASHINGTON — As Republicans targeting President Joe Biden take aim at the University of Pennsylvania and the offices where classified documents were found, they've also piled on another fraught topic: Penn's financial support from Chinese donors.
GOP members of Congress have pointed to sharp upticks in giving to the school from individuals and businesses in China during Biden's time at Penn. They've implied, without any clear lines of connection, that those contributions may add a nefarious layer to the classified documents controversy that began with a discovery at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, D.C.
But educational experts say the growth in donations from Chinese sources is unsurprising for an elite school such as Penn. While such donations to American colleges overall have raised bipartisan concerns about national security, Penn's overseas support is in line with similar schools during the same time frame.
