Obama's half-brother approached by Chinese firm seeking to help foreign investors buy their way into a US green card through EB-5 visa program

• A new report has shed light on US politicians' connections to the EB-5 visas program used by foreign investors
• Under EB-5 foreigners typically put up $500,000 to $1 million toward a 'new commercial enterprise'
• Mark Obama-Ndesandjo has said a Chinese firm came to him in hopes he would get on on board with a project based in El Monte, California
• The president's half-brother turned down the project, which is now part of a federal investigation

By Zoe Szathmary for MailOnline

Published: 00:21 EST, 5 February 2015 | Updated: 01:08 EST, 5 February 2015

A new report has shed light on US politicians' connections to the EB-5 visa program.

Under EB-5 - the Immigrant Investor Program - investors from overseas typically put up $500,000 to $1 million toward what U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) deems a 'new commercial enterprise.'

Mark Obama-Ndesandjo - the half-brother of President Barack Obama - even told ABC News a Chinese firm came to him in hopes he would get on on board with an El Monte, California, project.

'They said they wanted to pay a lot,' Obama-Ndesandjo said. 'But I told them I'm out of this, I don't want anything to do with it.'

Per ABC News, he also said that surnames like Clinton and Obama give projects cachet.

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Mark Obama-Ndesandjo - the half-brother of President Barack Obama - has said a Chinese firm came to him in hopes he would get on on board with a project based in El Monte, California for the EB-5 program

Citing documents, ABC News reported the El Monte project fell through and is now part of a federal investigation that includes over thirty-six projects.

It also said that Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic governor of Virginia, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) as well as Anthony Rodham - brother to Hillary Clinton - are among those linked to EB-5, which it described as a 'short-cut to a Green Card.'

'Politicians have been an attractive draw for the so-called EB-5 regional centers,' the news outlet explained. 'The privately-run centers have the job of recruiting foreign investors –- most of them coming from China. The centers then pair the investors (and their money) with various hotel developments, business ventures and construction projects.'

One regional center, Gulf Coast Management, is led by Anthony Rodham, according to ABC News. A message to the company seeking comment was not immediately answered.

ABC News reported 'When Terry McAuliffe, now the governor of Virginia, got involved in an electric car venture that was funded in part with EB-5 investments, he attempted to unclog the government review process with calls and emails to the head of the program, Alijandro Mayorkas, internal emails show. Sen. Harry Reid also used his political muscle to persuade the immigration agency to expedite the processing of visas for investors in a Las Vegas hotel and casino project.'

A representative for Reid told the news outlet 'Senator Reid is proud to have successfully fought for a project that creates 8,600 Nevada jobs.'

ABC News pointed out that then-gubernatorial candidate McAuliffe issued a statement after his campaigning for assistance from Mayorkas was used against him.

Anthony Rodham, brother of Hillary Clinton, reportedly leads a regional center called Gulf Coast Management. Rodham is seen with Bill Clinton in this 1999 file photo

McAuliffe's statement said that 'The EB-5 program is designed to inject capital into the American economy and to create American jobs (and) it has broad bipartisan support, including from every member of Virginia's delegation and the current administration in Richmond.

'There has been widespread frustration, however, both inside and outside USCIS about the bureaucracy there and the pace of the investment program. Like many business leaders and political officials from both parties, I was among those who expressed frustration on several occasions to multiple individuals.

'I never asked for any preferential treatment, nor did I ever expect to receive any.'

He also made a reference to Sen. Charles Grassley at the time, saying 'I find it unfortunate that a Republican Senator from Iowa -- who has a long history of support for the EB-5 program —- selectively released information for the purpose of partisan attacks instead of getting facts.'

Grassley told ABC News 'I have run across concerns from whistle blowers that people within the Department of Homeland Security administering this program have... responded to political pressure to do what I call get to yes very quickly.'

Meanwhile, Peter Joseph, executive director for Invest in the USA (IIUSA), said in an interview with the news outlet 'Generally speaking, it's very common for congressional offices to undertake issues on behalf of constituents that - involve dealing with federal bureaucracy.'