China has been able to infiltrate the U.S. government with the help of naïve and unguarded U.S. officials, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) recently said on Fox News.
Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Issa to explain why the Chinese Communist Party has “been able to infiltrate our government so significantly” after Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) fired an aide for trying to set up meetings between Chinese embassy staff and Republican congressional staff.
“Well, they’ve been able to do it because they’ve had willing partners,” Issa replied. “Beyer is a former ambassador. He’s been well-briefed on China’s attempts to infiltrate, and he should have known better.”
A Beyer spokesman said the congressman had “no inkling” of his aide’s work with China, and said he “will remain a fierce critic of China’s record.”
But he isn’t the only official revealed to have had Chinese influence in their orbit. In 2020, a Chinese woman was reported to have used tactics including sex to compromise officials at multiple levels of government, including Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Issa said, “At the end of the day, you have to assume, sadly, that if somebody has family in mainland China, they’re compromised. If you’re a student from China, you’re compromised. If you’re going back to China, you’re compromised.”
“We’ve been warned that they’re likely to use all of the – if you will, the Cold War tactics. And yet time and time again you see members of Congress and others falling for it,” he continued.
“Perhaps they simply don’t have their guards up, because they’re not worried about Iran,” Issa added. “They’re not worried about Russia. They’re not worried about China. But they should be.”
Beyer’s midterm opponent, Karina Lipsman, is calling for the congressman’s removal from committee posts, according to Fox News.
“The extent of Beyer’s office’s ties to the Chinese government needs to be determined, so the level of national security risk can be determined,” she said. “His office has clearly been compromised.”
