House Oversight opens investigation into Tim Walz’s ties to China

The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into vice presidential candidate Tim Walz over his long-standing history with China over concerns it could pose national security threats if he were elevated to the White House next year. 

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced the investigation on Friday, citing reports that Walz has visited the country 30 times over the decades by his own estimation, including for his honeymoon with his wife. In a letter sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Comer pressed the agency to provide access to all documents and communications related to the Chinese Communist Party’s connected entities as well as officials whom Walz has engaged with over the years. 

“The CCP has sought to destroy the United States through coordinated influence and infiltration campaigns that target every aspect of American life, including our own elected officials,” Comer said in a statement. “FBI briefers recently informed the Committee that the Bureau’s Foreign Influence Task Force investigates CCP activity that is similar to China’s engagement with Governor Walz. The American people deserve to fully understand how deep Governor Walz’s relationship with China goes.”

Comer cited reports of “concerning ties” between Walz and the People’s Republic of China, including a trip he organized while he was a teacher at Alliance High School in 1993. That trip was reportedly paid for by the Chinese government, according to the Star-Herald.

Comer also pointed to Walz’s private company named Educational Travel Adventures that he created the next year, which was designed to coordinate annual student trips to the PRC. That group was later dissolved shortly after he was sworn into the House in 2007, according to the chairman. 

Walz’s ties to China have become a flashpoint for Republicans in recent weeks, with GOP lawmakers scrutinizing how his extensive time in the communist nation may have influenced his foreign policy stances or whether he would be reluctant to confront Chinese aggression as vice president.

“I’m not sure what taking over 30 trips to China, including for his honeymoon, says about Tim Walz’s posture towards China,” Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), House Homeland Security Committee chairman, told the Washington Examiner. “But perhaps if the Harris-Walz campaign were willing to take questions from reporters, we could find out.” 

The Harris-Walz campaign has rejected such criticisms, instead pointing to Walz having condemned China’s human rights record. The Washington Examiner contacted the campaign for comment.

When Walz first began visiting China, U.S.-China relations were not as adversarial, as the two nations actively tried bolstering ties for economic interests.

Still, since his first trip to the country roughly 3 1/2 decades ago, Walz has, at times, made eyebrow-raising remarks for conservatives that are receiving fresh scrutiny — not unlike his liberal record as governor that Republicans have homed in on.

Although Walz has long advocated improving U.S.-China relations, he has also been critical of human rights abuses and the Chinese government while showing affection for its people. He told a Nebraska newspaper in 1990 that if China “had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish.”

Comer pressed the FBI to provide the desired materials no later than Aug. 30, although it’s not clear whether the agency plans to comply with the request. The Washington Examiner contacted a spokesperson for the FBI for comment.