A freshman House Republican has demanded Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., use her power to stop a Chinese communist newspaper from being delivered to congressional offices.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, tweeted Monday morning about finding a copy of China Daily in her office late last week.
Hinson tweeted:
"Frankly, I was appalled when I walked into work Friday morning and saw my office had received an unsolicited copy of China Daily. I wrote to the Speaker immediately and asked her to address this issue."
A copy of Hinson's letter to the speaker was obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
The Jan. 8 letter demanded Pelosi, as speaker, "stop the CCP from distributing its state-run publication within our hallowed halls. This offensive garbage should not be automatically distributed to congressional offices at the cost of the American taxpayers."
China Daily is a Chinese state-controlled newspaper designated as communist propaganda by the State Department. It reportedly has been delivered to congressional offices each morning for many years, despite protests from some lawmakers.
The newspaper is barred from accessing congressional press galleries due to its designation as a foreign agent under U.S. laws.
"Yet, their mal-intended work appears on my doorstep, alongside the newspapers of the American free press," Hinson wrote in her letter. "This is a flagrant violation of the taxpayers' trust."
In December, the Free Beacon reported China Daily breached federal laws by not disclosing the amount of money it spent advertising in prominent American media outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post.
"How can we expect the American people to trust that Congress will take on the Chinese Communist Party when its dangerous propaganda is being delivered right to our doorstep?" Hinson told the Free Beacon.
China Daily periodically draws attention for making wild claims backed by the Chinese government. One example was claiming last year AIDS "spread to the world" after it was "first discovered" in the United States.