Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the witnesses.
My first question is for you, Mr. Nelson.
Let me make it clear at the outset that I do not subscribe to this view, but I think it's important to put it on the record, to put the question and then get the answer on the record. The National Democratic Institute has engaged in democracy work throughout the world in places such as the Ukraine, the Arab world during the time of the Arab Spring, and now in Hong Kong.
There will be those who try to spin your appearance here today into something it's not: speaking on behalf of the organization that does the bidding of the U.S. government on matters of strategic interest to Washington. How would you respond to that?