Sen. Lankford to Newsmax TV: China Aggressive Targeting Congress

Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said on Newsmax TV Thursday that he knows of several members of Congress who have been alerted that they have been targets of Chinese intelligence officers and suggested that the threat from the communist nation is significant.

The comments on ''Stinchfield'' come nine days after a report that California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, had been befriended by a suspected Chinese spy after she sought him out and developed a relationship over four years going back to his days as a local government official.

''Multiple members have had defensive briefings, and I won't go into all the details of how many and who they are, but multiple members have been contacted (by the FBI) to say, 'You have been targeted by the Chinese to be able to gain access to your personal information, your campaign information, and try to make contact with you to establish friendships,' to be able to move this along,'' said Lankford, 52, a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

''The Chinese have been aggressive in the process. They're active in trying to engage with us. They try to exploit our freedom. They try to exploit student visas, work visas, scientific visas to be able to come in for technology advancements. And then also there are normal visas for them to be able to come through diplomatic channels.''

On Dec. 10 on ''Stinchfield,'' former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell disclosed that several members have been targeted, a situation Lankford reinforced.

''People need to pay attention to that,'' Lankford said. ''Members of the House and Senate have been informed. They're trying to be able to target you to be able to engage, the next question from Ric Grenell is 'Have they submitted to that? Or do they agree with that? Or do they agree the policies if communist China?'''

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