A STORM COULD IMPACT OUR AREA. COMMITMENT 2024 BRINGS US ANOTHER ATTACK AD, THIS TIME IN A LOCAL STATE SENATE RACE. ONE OF THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IS BEING TARGETED BY HIS OWN PARTY TO TRY AND HELP ANOTHER GOP CONTENDER. WE GET THE FACTS FROM WESH TWO NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER GREG FOX. BOWANKO SAYS HE’S A SELF-MADE MAN. THIS NEW AD ATTACKING BEAU AND CO IS FROM THE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE FIRST IS CO A SELF-MADE MAN. THAT’S A FACT. THE CHINESE BORN AMERICAN WHO WENT TO MICHIGAN STATE NOW OWNS GROCERY STORES MOSTLY BRANDED UNDER THE NAME FRESH INTERNATIONAL MARKET. WO WHAT WO CO IS A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR STATE SENATE DISTRICT 13, WHICH INCLUDES LAKE AND PART OF ORANGE COUNTIES. ONE OF HIS GOP OPPONENTS, STATE REPRESENTATIVE KEITH TRUENOW, IS BACKED BY THE PARTY. FROM DAY ONE. I CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, I NEVER TAKE ANY GOVERNMENT ENTITLEMENT, BUT THAT’S NOT TRUE. CO HAS TAKEN OVER 6 MILLION IN GOVERNMENT FUNDED BAILOUTS. LET’S GET THE FACTS. THE CLAIM THAT CO TOOK ENTITLEMENTS AND BAILOUTS IS FALSE. CO DID TAKE OUT A SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOAN. THE SBA HELPED SMALL BUSINESSES GET FUNDING. BUT THE ACTUAL MONEY COMES FROM BANKS. IN THIS CASE BANK OF AMERICA. THE LOAN AMOUNT WAS ABOUT $4.3 MILLION. AND CO IS PAYING IT BACK. IT’S NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITLEMENT LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY BECAUSE THOSE COME FROM TRUST FUNDS OR GENERAL REVENUE. THE MONEY THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, FUNDED POOP LOANS TO HELP BUSINESSES RETAIN WORKERS DURING THE PANDEMIC. WHILE THERE’S NO RECORD CO TOOK POOP MONEY, THE COMPANY HIS OPPONENT TRUE NOW FOUNDED CERTAINLY DID LAKE GEM FARMS APPLIED FOR AND RECEIVED NEARLY $1 MILLION TO COVER WORKER SALARIES, ONE LOAN FOR MORE THAN $473,000, AND A SECOND FOR MORE THAN 472,000, ALL OF IT WAS FORGIVEN, AND BO AND CO’S COMPANY USED FOREIGN WORKERS TO INCREASE PROFITS. ITS FOREIGN WORKERS AND FOREIGN PRODUCT THAT YOU’RE SELLING. YES. I JUST CAN’T STAND PEOPLE. TAKE ADVANTAGE. DOES CO USE SOME FOREIGN WORKERS? THAT’S A FACT. HE SAYS HE NEEDS A FEW OF HIS 500 WORKERS WHO CAN SPEAK MANDARIN AND CANTONESE. THEY’RE FULLY REGISTERED WITH H-1B VISAS JUST LIKE WORKERS EMPLOYED BY COMPANIES LIKE DISNEY AND ADVENTHEALTH. AND OF COURSE, HE SELLS FOREIGN PRODUCTS. HIS STORES IMPORT FOOD FROM 29 COUNTRIES. THE INTERVIEW FROM WHICH THE AD WAS CREATED COMES FROM THE CONSERVATIVE FLORIDA’S VOICE AND ITS CEO. THE INTERVIEWER, BRENDAN LESLIE CO, IS SUING LESLIE AND STEVE CRIM OF COMMON SENSE AMERICA FOR WHAT CO CALLS A LIBELOUS ARTICLE THAT INCLUDED KRIM’S CLAIM THAT CURRENTLY A CHINESE NATIONAL IS RUNNING FOR THE FLORIDA SENATE. CO IS ALSO SUING THE COMMITTEE THAT MADE THE AD AND ALSO MADE THESE MAILERS THAT ARE SHOWING UP IN VOTER MAILBOXES THAT CO SAYS FALSELY STATE THAT HE’S GETTING CAMPAIGN DONATIONS FROM CHINESE NATIONALS, THAT OF COURSE, WOULD BE ILLEGAL WITH. GET THE FACTS. I’M GREG FOX AND IF YOU RECEIVE MAILERS OR SEES SOCIAL MEDIA AS THAT, JUST DON’T LOOK LIKE THEY
Get The Facts: Florida Senate candidate targeted in television political ad
Updated: 2:01 PM EDT Jul 5, 2024
Updated on July 5, 2024: Upon deeper research, WESH 2 has uncovered additional financial information regarding State Senate District 13 republican candidates Keith Truenow and Bowen Kou.According to Small Business Administration records, Kou's companies received funds from the pandemic Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in order to pay employee salaries. Three of his companies, Seafood City ($223,227), New Oriental Mart LLC ($71,527 & $71,525), and Hong Kong Market ($38,502) received a total of $404,781 that was forgiven, meaning the money did not have to be paid back. In addition to the amounts listed below, companies in which Truenow has an ownership stake or is affiliated with, received $493,289 in PPP money to pay worker salaries. Lake Jem Farms Holdings received $143,477 and Creative Walls and Landscaping LLC received $174,907 and $174,905. All of that money was forgiven. Adding the figures below, that’s more than $1.4 million PPP dollars for Truenow-related companies that was never required to be paid backOriginal coverage:A new television political ad is targeting one of the Republican candidates in a local State Senate race. The ad is from the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (FRSCC), an arm of the Republican Party of Florida.First, is Kou a "self-made man"? That's a fact.The Chinese-born American, who attended Michigan State, came to America as a 19-year-old, urged by his family to leave the communist nation. He first started a business near campus, a student bookstore and café, and now owns a chain of grocery stores, mostly branded under the name Fresh International Market. He’s also recently begun opening two Paris Baguette franchise locations in Central Florida.Kou is one of three Republican candidates for State Senate District 13, which includes Lake and part of Orange counties. One of his GOP opponents, District 26 State Representative Keith Truenow, is backed by the state party through the FRSCC.Kou is seen in the ad during an interview posted on YouTube, saying: "From day one, I came to this country I never take any government entitlement." The narrator then claims, "But that's not true. Kou has taken over $6 million in government-funded bailouts."Let's get the facts: The claim that Kou took "entitlements" and "bailouts" is false.Kou did take out a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan in November 2023 to build one of his stores in Raleigh, N.C. The SBA helps small businesses get funding and guarantees their repayment, but the actual money comes from banks, in this case, Bank of America. The loan amount was $4,334,200, and Kou is paying it back, having already paid back roughly $400,000. It’s not a government "entitlement" like Social Security because those come from trust funds or general revenue, such as the “Paycheck Protection Program” or PPP loans, which helped businesses retain workers during the pandemic by covering their salaries.While there's no record that Kou took PPP money, the company his opponent, Truenow, founded certainly did. Government records show Lake Jem Farms, based in Lake County, applied for and received $946,502.74 to cover worker salaries. One loan was for $473,747.12, and the second was for $472,755.62. All of it was forgiven, meaning Lake Jem Farms was required to pay nothing back.The ad continues with the narrator claiming, "Bowen Kou's company used foreign workers to increase profits," followed by the host asking, "It's foreign workers and foreign product that you're selling?" to which Kou responds, "Yes. I just can't stand people that take advantage."First, the words following "yes" were taken out of context from the 24-minute-long interview. When Kou said, “I just can’t stand people that take advantage,” he was answering an earlier question about immigration. He stated that he was adamantly opposed to people coming into this country who are not legally documented.As to the “foreign workers” comment, it’s a fact that Kou employs some foreign workers. He told WESH 2 that he needs a few of his 500 workers who can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, and other languages. They're fully registered with H-1B visas, just like workers employed by Disney and AdventHealth companies. And, of course, he sells foreign products. His stores import food from 29 countries.The interview from which the ad was created comes from conservative Florida's Voice and its CEO, Brendon Leslie, the interviewer in the YouTube interview. Kou is suing Leslie and Steve Crim of Common Sense America for a libelous online article that included Crim's claim that "Currently a Chinese national (is) running for the Florida Senate."Kou is also suing the committee that made this TV ad, claiming mailers sent to voters falsely claim his campaign contributions are coming from "Chinese Donors." He's right. That would be illegal.
Updated on July 5, 2024:
Upon deeper research, WESH 2 has uncovered additional financial information regarding State Senate District 13 republican candidates Keith Truenow and Bowen Kou.
According to Small Business Administration records, Kou's companies received funds from the pandemic Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in order to pay employee salaries. Three of his companies, Seafood City ($223,227), New Oriental Mart LLC ($71,527 & $71,525), and Hong Kong Market ($38,502) received a total of $404,781 that was forgiven, meaning the money did not have to be paid back.
In addition to the amounts listed below, companies in which Truenow has an ownership stake or is affiliated with, received $493,289 in PPP money to pay worker salaries. Lake Jem Farms Holdings received $143,477 and Creative Walls and Landscaping LLC received $174,907 and $174,905. All of that money was forgiven.
Adding the figures below, that’s more than $1.4 million PPP dollars for Truenow-related companies that was never required to be paid back
Original coverage:
A new television political ad is targeting one of the Republican candidates in a local State Senate race. The ad is from the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (FRSCC), an arm of the Republican Party of Florida.
First, is Kou a "self-made man"? That's a fact.
The Chinese-born American, who attended Michigan State, came to America as a 19-year-old, urged by his family to leave the communist nation. He first started a business near campus, a student bookstore and café, and now owns a chain of grocery stores, mostly branded under the name Fresh International Market. He’s also recently begun opening two Paris Baguette franchise locations in Central Florida.
Kou is one of three Republican candidates for State Senate District 13, which includes Lake and part of Orange counties. One of his GOP opponents, District 26 State Representative Keith Truenow, is backed by the state party through the FRSCC.
Kou is seen in the ad during an interview posted on YouTube, saying: "From day one, I came to this country I never take any government entitlement." The narrator then claims, "But that's not true. Kou has taken over $6 million in government-funded bailouts."
Let's get the facts: The claim that Kou took "entitlements" and "bailouts" is false.
Kou did take out a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan in November 2023 to build one of his stores in Raleigh, N.C. The SBA helps small businesses get funding and guarantees their repayment, but the actual money comes from banks, in this case, Bank of America. The loan amount was $4,334,200, and Kou is paying it back, having already paid back roughly $400,000. It’s not a government "entitlement" like Social Security because those come from trust funds or general revenue, such as the “Paycheck Protection Program” or PPP loans, which helped businesses retain workers during the pandemic by covering their salaries.
While there's no record that Kou took PPP money, the company his opponent, Truenow, founded certainly did. Government records show Lake Jem Farms, based in Lake County, applied for and received $946,502.74 to cover worker salaries. One loan was for $473,747.12, and the second was for $472,755.62. All of it was forgiven, meaning Lake Jem Farms was required to pay nothing back.
The ad continues with the narrator claiming, "Bowen Kou's company used foreign workers to increase profits," followed by the host asking, "It's foreign workers and foreign product that you're selling?" to which Kou responds, "Yes. I just can't stand people that take advantage."
First, the words following "yes" were taken out of context from the 24-minute-long interview. When Kou said, “I just can’t stand people that take advantage,” he was answering an earlier question about immigration. He stated that he was adamantly opposed to people coming into this country who are not legally documented.
As to the “foreign workers” comment, it’s a fact that Kou employs some foreign workers. He told WESH 2 that he needs a few of his 500 workers who can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, and other languages. They're fully registered with H-1B visas, just like workers employed by Disney and AdventHealth companies. And, of course, he sells foreign products. His stores import food from 29 countries.
The interview from which the ad was created comes from conservative Florida's Voice and its CEO, Brendon Leslie, the interviewer in the YouTube interview. Kou is suing Leslie and Steve Crim of Common Sense America for a libelous online article that included Crim's claim that "Currently a Chinese national (is) running for the Florida Senate."
Kou is also suing the committee that made this TV ad, claiming mailers sent to voters falsely claim his campaign contributions are coming from "Chinese Donors." He's right. That would be illegal.
