There must be an immediate inquiry into Chinese surveillance in the United States, a group of Republican senators led by Tennessee's Marsha Blackburn demanded in a letter sent on Tuesday to FBI Christopher Wray and Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice Matthew Olsen.
"Recent reporting indicates that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has secretly operated 'service centers' in seven cities across America — from San Francisco to Houston to Charlotte," according to the letter, which was cosigned by Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), Deb Fischer (Nebraska), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), Bill Hagerty (Tennessee), Ted Cruz (Texas), Mike Braun (Indiana), and Steve Daines (Montana).
The letter continued that "we have learned that the CCP has been utilizing 'Overseas Chinese Service Centers' (OCSCs) housed within American-based nonprofit organizations. These OCSCs — which were apparently established to 'promote Chinese culture and assist Chinese citizens living abroad' - reportedly coordinated with China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the Chinese national police agency.
The senators emphasized that "these allegations are so troubling and merit immediate investigation," because "the MPS also serves as an intelligence operative for the CCP.
The letter stressed that "we have witnessed over the last few years China's malign influence in the United States and around the world, underscoring why it is critical that these allegations outlined in the Daily Caller's reporting be thoroughly investigated. Thus, we request that the FBI and DOJ immediately commence an inquiry into this matter."
The letter from the senators pointed out that "in April, the Department of Justice charged two New York City residents with operating an unauthorized MPS police outpost, which was ostensibly used to monitor and intimidate Chinese dissidents living in the United States. Just as troubling, in February, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had traveled through U.S. airspace for several days, an apparent act of provocation by the CCP."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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