Democrats demand FBI probe into Trump’s ties to Chinese massage parlor operator

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded Monday that the FBI open a counterintelligence probe into President Trump’s relationship with Li “Cindy” Yang, saying the owner of a chain of Florida massage parlors appears to have had undue access to the president.

Mrs. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer issued a joint statement saying they backed an investigative request by House committee chairmen and Senate ranking members last week.

“The facts in this situation are very concerning,” Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer said.

They said the FBI should “adhere” to the chairmen’s requests.

In a letter late last week, Democrats said Ms. Yang appeared to be selling access to Mr. Trump to her associates, based on her boasting on her website that she could arrange “White House and Capitol Hill dinners” and could get Chinese clients time with the president and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Ms. Yang also photobombed Mr. Trump at a Super Bowl party this year and was reportedly “a frequent guest” at the president’s Florida Mar-a-Lago resort.

“If true, these allegations raise serious counterintelligence concerns,” the committee chairmen wrote. They said while Ms. Yang may have been only a straightforward grifter, Chinese agents may have been able to exploit her for their own purposes.

The Democrats demanded a counterintelligence assessment be done to evaluate what damage may have been done.

Ms. Yang’s business operation became public last month after the arrest of Robert Kraft, the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots franchise, on charges of soliciting prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

Subsequent news reports showed Ms. Yang had interacted with Mr. Trump, sparking new scrutiny.

Ms. Yang, who at one point owned but has since sold the Orchids of Asia spa Mr. Kraft allegedly visited, has not been charged with anything.

One of her lawyers last week, in an interview with NBC, said she denies criminal activity and did nothing wrong in her engagements with the president.