BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Investor Kevin O’Leary confirmed on Tuesday that he received a demand letter before he clarified his stance on whether opponents of his Utah data center proposal had been influenced by China.
In a phone interview Tuesday with FOX 13 News, O’Leary said he received such a letter but declined to provide a copy or say who sent it.
“Well, I can't discuss any ongoing litigation,” O’Leary said, “but what's public is I put out a correction. That's known.”
Demand letters are often a step before or in lieu of a lawsuit. Such letters seek money or other remedies.
O’Leary issued that correction last week. It clarified that he had “no evidence” two Utah organizations and three people he specifically named are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party.
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That hasn’t put the matter to rest. Earlier this month, U.S. Sen Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether China was influencing American opposition to data centers.
O’Leary on Tuesday said he still believes China is producing misinformation about data centers to give that country an advantage in the computing race.
“But I want to make it clear, this issue is not Utah specific,” O’Leary said. “It's everywhere in America. It's everywhere to do with power and or data centers.”
Alliance For A Better Utah, one of the organizations O’Leary accused, denied Chinese ties, as did individuals who worked there who were accused by name. A spokeswoman for the Alliance on Tuesday declined to comment.
As for whether China has incited data center opposition elsewhere in the United States, that has not been demonstrated either.
Meanwhile, O’Leary is continuing with the Stratos project in Box Elder County.