Subpoena Issued After Whistleblower Steps Forward with Info on Tim Walz and Chinese Communist Party
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has raised allegations linking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These claims were based on information from whistleblower disclosures, which included evidence of a non-classified Microsoft Teams chat among Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel regarding Walz’s connections to China. Committee Chair Rep. James Comer has issued a subpoena to DHS for relevant documents related to these findings.
The investigation is part of a broader inquiry into China’s efforts to influence U.S. political figures and subnational governments. Comer has emphasized the need to understand the implications of Walz’s ties to the CCP, especially given his status as a vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic Party alongside Kamala Harris. The investigations began prior to his nomination, indicating concerns about CCP infiltration and possible influence operations at high levels of government.
Comer noted that previous requests for information related to Walz’s engagement with CCP-affiliated entities have not been satisfactorily addressed by the Biden administration or the FBI. The committee is aiming to ascertain the extent of these connections and the impact they may have on national security, characterizing Walz’s history of interactions with CCP officials as a potential case of influence operations.
The Chinese Communist Party has a “longstanding connection” with Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is also the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to allegations from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
“According to recently received whistleblower disclosures, we’ve learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees and additional intelligence reports that contain information regarding a longstanding connection between the CCP and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,” the panel posted on X.
The post noted that Committee Chair Rep. James Comer of Kentucky has issued a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security for classified and unclassified documents related to discussions among Homeland Security staffers about Walz’s links to China.
🚨BREAKING: Chairman Comer Is Subpoenaing DHS After Whistleblower Reveals Information on Governor Walz’s Ties to the CCP
According to recently received whistleblower disclosures, we’ve learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees and additional… pic.twitter.com/VRuXBbf2dR
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) September 30, 2024
The committee has been investigating China’s “infiltration and influence campaign to weaken and corrupt the United States,” according to a news release on the website of the committee.
“During briefings held with over twenty federal agencies, the Committee has learned of the CCP’s efforts to influence subnational government leaders, including state governors. In August, Chairman Comer launched an investigation into Governor Walz following reports detailing the Governor’s longstanding connections to CCP entities and officials,” the release said.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Comer said the committee “has recently received whistleblower disclosures informing the Committee of serious concern among Department of Homeland personnel regarding a longstanding connection between the CCP and Minnesota Governor Timothy James Walz.”
“Specifically, through whistleblower disclosures, the Committee has learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees — titled ‘NST NFT Bi-Weekly Sync’ — that contains information about Governor Walz that is relevant to the Committee’s investigation,” the letter said.
“The Committee’s investigation of the CCP — begun long before Governor Walz was elevated to be the vice-presidential candidate for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — seeks to understand the extent of the CCP’s infiltration and influence campaign and to identify legislative reforms to combat CCP political warfare targeting prominent Americans for elite capture,” Comer wrote to Mayorkas.
“If a state governor and major political party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States has been a witting or unwitting participant in the CCP’s efforts to weaken our nation, this would strongly suggest that there are alarming weaknesses in the federal government’s effort to defend the United States from the CCP’s political warfare that must be urgently addressed,” the letter said, calling for all information to be supplied in an unredacted format.
Comer has noted that the Biden-Harris administration has not been cooperative in the past when the House panel asked for information on Walz.
“On August 16, 2024, the Committee requested information about the CCP-affiliated entities and officials with which Mr. Timothy Walz has engaged, as well as any warnings or information the Federal Bureau of Investigation has provided to Mr. Walz or his office about CCP influence operations,” Comer noted in a September news release.
“The deadline to produce such documents and information has passed, and the Bureau has failed to provide any response to the Committee.”
“The FBI’s silence regarding Mr. Walz’s documented relations with CCP affiliates is inexcusable,” he noted then, citing connections between Walz and the Chinese Communist Party that go back to 1993.
Walz has participated in a program linked to China’s Belt and Road initiative that seeks to extend its dominance, Comer said.
“Governor Walz has visited China, by his memory, roughly 30 times. During the 118th Congress, the Committee has investigated federal agencies’ responses to CCP influence and infiltration tactics, including the FBI’s own strategy,” Comer said last month.
“In July 2024, the FBI briefed the Oversight Committee on CCP influence operations. In part based on that briefing, Governor Walz’s history with CCP-affiliates bears characteristics of CCP influence operations.”
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