Border crisis, ‘rebuilding’ terror groups pose threat to U.S.
By Casey Harper | The Center Square House lawmakers held a hearing Wednesday about the growing threats to U.S. national security, including the crisis at the southern border, the growing threat of terrorism as well as overseas conflicts that could entangle the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and National Counterterrorism Director Christine Abizaid testified at the hearing about the danger of worldwide threats. “Foreign terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS are rebuilding overseas, and they maintain worldwide networks of supporters that could target the homeland,” Mayorkas said in a prepared statement. The Ukraine and Israel wars as well as a possible invasion of Taiwan also put the U.S. in a difficult position. “Some of the greatest threats include: an open and lawless Southwest border, ask any border Sheriff or for that matter the mayor of NYC; the rising threat of terrorism; rogue nation-state actors and criminal elements seeking to do us harm; and efforts by foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party to target our critical infrastructure,” House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn, said in his opening remarks at the hearing. “Of course, we also have the wars in Israel and Ukraine, and rising Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.” The hearing comes after an effort from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to impeach Mayorkas narrowly failed in the House of Representatives Monday. Legislators referred it to the Homeland Security Committee, which is often a way of indefinitely tabling legislation. Mayorkas raised the concern of domestic terrorism in particular, something Wray has also warned about. “The threat of a ‘lone wolf’ actor attempting to exploit the conflict between Israel and Hamas and incited to violence by an ideology of hate is of particular concern,” Mayorkas testified. “Foreign terrorist organization and lone offender reactions based on perceptions of U.S. support to Israel could further escalate the threat to Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities in the United States and to U.S. government officials. As the conflict endures, graphic visuals will likely continue to circulate online and garner significant media attention, potentially acting as a catalyst for various violent actors who have shared and continue to share this kind of material.” Wray has raised a similar concern, specifically naming Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group that killed more than 1,400 Israelis in October and took hundreds of hostages, including Americans. “Our top concern stems from lone offenders inspired by— or reacting to—the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as they pose the most likely threat to Americans, especially Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities in the United States,” Wray testified. “We have seen an increase in reported threats to Jewish and Muslim people, institutions, and houses of worship here in the United States and are moving quickly to mitigate them.” Millions of illegal migrants have come into the U.S. since President Joe Biden took office. Notably, hundreds of migrants were flagged as potential terrorists, raising major concerns about how Hamas, Hezbollah or other terror groups could exploit the border to infiltrate the U.S. As The Center Square previously reported, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s San Diego field office warned earlier this year that Hamas may try to send individuals to the U.S. through the southern border. The northern border, though, has also seen a high number of migrants with suspected terrorist sympathies. “San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit (SDFO-FITU) assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” an unclassified document from the office reads. Mayorkas also pointed to another threat, namely hackers, which can be a lucrative business and also a dangerous weapon. “Malicious cyber activity targeting the United States has increased since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine, a trend we expect to continue throughout the duration of the conflict,” he testified. “Within the past three years, we have seen numerous cybersecurity incidents impacting organizations of all sizes and disrupting critical services, from the Russian government’s compromise of the SolarWinds supply chain to the widespread vulnerabilities generated by open-source software like Log4j. “We believe there is significant under-reporting of ransomware and other cybersecurity incidents, and we assess that ransomware attacks targeting U.S. networks 6 will increase in the near- and long-terms,” he added. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Feds warn of potential terror attacks overseas as Israel-Hamas war escalates
By Dan McCaleb | The Center Square The federal government is warning Americans to “exercise increased caution” when traveling overseas as tensions mount over Israel’s war with the terrorist group Hamas in the Mideast. “Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” the department said in a “Worldwide Caution” alert posted Thursday. Sometimes violent protests have erupted worldwide after Hamas operatives initiated a sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that led to the deaths of more than 1,200 Israeli citizens, including dozens of Americans. Israel responded, firing missiles into Gaza daily targeting Hamas strongholds. A large group of pro-Palestinian protesters entered a government building on Capitol Hill on Wednesday demanding a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The State Department also is working with U.S. embassies abroad on security reviews in anticipation of potential attacks, ABC News reporter. Separately, both President Joe Biden and FBI Director Christopher Wray have said the potential for a terrorist attack on U.S. soil has increased because of the war in the Middle East. “In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats, and we’ve got to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own,” Wray told police chiefs at the International Police Chiefs Association in San Diego this past weekend, as The Center Square previously reported. Domestic terrorism concerns also are elevated as a record number of known, suspected terrorists have been apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. over the past year. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Joe Biden, Christoper Wray acknowledge Hamas, extremists could commit terrorist attack on U.S. soil
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor As a record number of known, suspected terrorists have been apprehended attempting to enter the U.S., and a record number of antisemitic incidents have occurred in the U.S., the president and the director of the FBI have admitted it’s more likely than ever that a terrorist act could be committed on U.S. soil. In an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday night, when asked if the threat of terrorism in the United States has increased because of conflict in the Middle East, President Joe Biden replied, “Yes.” Biden also said he met with Department of Homeland Security and FBI officials “for the better part of an hour to discuss how we make sure that we prevent a lone wolf and/or any coordinated effort to try to do what was done in synagogues before, do what was done to Jews in the street. We’re making a major effort to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Speaking to police chiefs at the International Police Chiefs Association in San Diego on Saturday, FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed similar sentiments. He said after the attack on Israel by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, “In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats, and we’ve got to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own.” FBI Director Christopher Wray says a terrorist threat is more likely to occur on US soil. This is after a record number of known, suspected terrorists have been apprehended at US borders, with the majority at the northern border https://t.co/gKpAhAzYzTand as a record number… pic.twitter.com/UKpoWjLToj— Bethany Blankley (@BethanyBlankley) October 16, 2023 Wray also expressed support for Israel, saying, “History has been witness to anti-Semitic and other forms of violent extremism for far too long. Whether that be from foreign terrorist organizations, or those inspired by them, or domestic violent extremists motivated by their own racial animus, the targeting of a community because of their faith is completely unacceptable. We remain committed to continue confronting those threats – both here in the United States and overseas.” Wray made similar remarks while on a call with reporters on Sunday. However, he was more specific, saying there’s a possibility that members of Hamas or other terrorist groups could commit a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. “The threat is very much ongoing, and in fact, the threat picture continues to evolve,” Wray said, according to CBS News. “Here in the U.S., we cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas or other foreign terrorist organizations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil.” He’s also maintained that the FBI was “moving quickly to mitigate” potential terrorist threats. Their acknowledgments came after the greatest number of known and suspected terrorists were apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. in fiscal 2023. The majority were apprehended at the northern border, 432, compared to 227 at the southwest border. Combined, 659 apprehended represents the greatest number in recorded history. However, law enforcement officials have explained to The Center Square that the 659 apprehended simply means more are coming through. It’s the ones who aren’t caught who are coming from countries that sponsor terrorism that worry them. The KST data doesn’t include gotaways, which are believed to also include KSTs. “Gotaways” is the official U.S. Customs and Border Patrol term that refers to those who illegally enter the U.S. between ports of entry, don’t return to Mexico or Canada, and are not apprehended. They total at least nearly 1.7 million since January 2021. With people illegally entering the U.S. from over 170 countries, former ICE Chief Tom Homan told The Center Square some of these countries they are coming from are sponsors of terrorism. “If you don’t think a single one of the 1.7 million [gotaways] is coming from a country that sponsors terrorism, then you’re ignoring the data,” he said. “That’s what makes this a huge national security issue.” Biden’s and Wray’s remarks also came after a record number of antisemitic incidents were reported last year against Jewish Americans, Jewish institutions, houses of worship, and Jewish students attending U.S. colleges and K-12 schools nationwide. The southwest region saw an 87% increase in antisemitic incidents last year, with more than half of them being reported in the Houston, Texas, area. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Hunter Biden will plead guilty in a deal that likely averts time behind bars in a tax and gun case
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden will plead guilty to federal tax offenses but avoid full prosecution on a separate gun charge in a deal with the Justice Department that likely spares him time behind bars. Hunter Biden, 53, will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of an agreement made public Tuesday. The agreement will also avert prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as he adheres to conditions agreed to in court. The deal ends a long-running Justice Department investigation into the taxes and foreign business dealings of President Biden’s second son, who has acknowledged struggling with addiction following the 2015 death of his brother Beau Biden. It also averts a trial that would have generated days or weeks of distracting headlines for a White House that has strenuously sought to keep its distance from the Justice Department. The president, when asked about the development at a meeting on another subject in California, said simply, “I’m very proud of my son.” The White House counsel’s office said in a statement that the president and first lady Jill Biden “love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.” While the agreement requires the younger Biden to admit guilt, the deal is narrowly focused on tax and weapons violations rather than anything broader or tied to the Democratic president. Nonetheless, former President Donald Trump and other Republicans continued to try to use the case to shine an unflattering spotlight on Joe Biden and to raise questions about the independence of the Biden Justice Department. Trump, challenging President Biden in the 2024 presidential race, likened the agreement to a “mere traffic ticket,” adding, “Our system is BROKEN!” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy compared the outcome to the Trump documents case now heading toward federal court and said, “If you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another presidential challenger, used the same term. Two people familiar with the investigation said the Justice Department would recommend 24 months of probation for the tax charges, meaning Hunter Biden will not face time in prison. But the decision to go along with any deal is up to the judge. The people were not authorized to speak publicly by name and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. He is to plead guilty to failing to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, charges that carry a maximum possible penalty of a year in prison. The back taxes have since been paid, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The gun charge states that Hunter Biden possessed a handgun, a Colt Cobra .38 Special, for 11 days in October 2018 despite knowing he was a drug user. The rarely filed count carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but the Justice Department said Hunter Biden had reached a pretrial agreement. This likely means as long as he adheres to the conditions, the case will be wiped from his record. Christopher Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, said in a statement that it was his understanding that the five-year investigation had now been resolved. “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” Clark said. “He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.” The agreement comes as the Justice Department pursues perhaps the most consequential case in its history against Trump, the first former president to face federal criminal charges. The resolution of Hunter Biden’s case comes just days after a 37-count indictment against Trump in relation to accusations of mishandling classified documents on his Florida estate. It was filed by a special counsel, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to avoid any potential conflict of interest in the Justice Department. That indictment has nevertheless brought an onslaught of Republican criticism of “politicization” of the Justice Department. Meanwhile, congressional Republicans continue to pursue their own investigations into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, including foreign payments. Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said the younger Biden is “getting away with a slap on the wrist,” despite investigations in Congress that GOP lawmakers say show — but have not yet provided evidence of — a pattern of corruption involving the family’s financial ties. Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, on the other hand, said the case was thoroughly investigated over five years by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Delaware prosecutor appointed by Trump. Resolution of the case, Coons said, “brings to a close a five-year investigation, despite the elaborate conspiracy theories spun by many who believed there would be much more to this.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was scheduled to campaign with the president Tuesday evening, reaffirmed his support for Biden’s reelection. “Hunter changes nothing,” Newsom told the AP on Tuesday. Misdemeanor tax cases aren’t common, and most that are filed end with a sentence that doesn’t include time behind bars, said Caroline Ciraolo, an attorney who served as head of the Justice Department’s tax division from 2015 to 2017. An expected federal conviction “is not a slap on the wrist,” she said. Gun possession charges that aren’t associated with another firearm crime are also uncommon, said Keith Rosen, a past head of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware. For people without a significant criminal history, the total number of multiple types of illegal possession cases filed every year in Delaware amounts to a handful, he said. The Justice Department’s investigation into the president’s son burst into public view in December 2020, one month after the 2020 election, when Hunter Biden revealed that he had received a subpoena as part of the department’s scrutiny of his taxes. The subpoena sought information on the younger Biden’s business dealings with a number of entities, including
20 AGs join Bishops in condemning FBI memo profiling ‘Latin Mass’ Catholics
Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey and 19 other attorneys general joined Catholic Bishops protesting religious profiling in a leaked Federal Bureau of Investigation memo. Last week, an FBI internal memorandum dated January 23 was published by Undercover DC, an investigative journalism organization. It mentioned Virginia Catholics, specifically traditional Catholics, some of whom are not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, according to information from the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. The attorneys general seven-page letter of complaint was addressed to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The letter states the FBI memo “identifies ‘radical-traditionalist Catholics’ as a potential’ racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists.’… Among those beliefs which distinguish the bad Catholics from the good ones are a preference for ‘the Traditional Latin Mass and pre-Vatican II teachings,’ and adherence to traditional Catholic teachings on sex and marriage (which the memorandum describes as ‘anti-LGBTQ’).” In 2021, Pope Francis ended pre-Vatican II Traditional Latin Masses, stating the liturgies were dividing the Catholic Church. Last week, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Religious Liberty Chairman of the U.S. Catholic Council of Bishops, criticized the FBI memorandum. Dolan agreed with a statement made a day earlier by Bishop Barry Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond. “Let me first be clear: anyone who espouses racism or promotes violence is rejecting Catholic teaching on the inherent dignity of each and every person,” Dolan’s statement said. “The USCCB roundly condemns such extremism and fully supports the work of law enforcement officials to keep our communities safe. “I agree with my brother Bishop Barry Knestout that the leaked memorandum was nonetheless ‘troubling and offensive’ in several respects – such as in its religious profiling and reliance on dubious sourcing – and am glad it has been rescinded. We encourage federal law enforcement authorities to take appropriate measures to ensure the problematic aspects of the memo do not recur in any of their agencies’ work going forward.” The Catholic News Agency received a response from the FBI confirming the document came from the Richmond office, and it was being removed. “While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, this particular field office product – disseminated only within the FBI – regarding racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism does not meet the exacting standards of the FBI,” according to the FBI statement published by the Catholic News Agency. Bailey said the FBI action was another attack on the First Amendment by President Joe Biden, who is a practicing Catholic. “We already knew that President Biden was launching an attack on the First Amendment rights of Americans, as evidenced by our landmark free speech case Missouri v. Biden, but now it’s clear that he’ll weaponize unelected federal bureaucrats to go after any American who doesn’t worship the ‘right way,’” Bailey said in a statement. “The First Amendment includes both the right to free speech and religious liberty for a reason, and my office will use any tool necessary to defend the rights of all Missourians to worship as they please.” On Saturday, Bishop David O’Connell, 69, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was found shot to death inside his Hacienda Heights home. Several media outlets reported law enforcement agencies were treating the case as a homicide and didn’t know of a motive. Several media outlets reported an arrest was made today in the case. Joining Bailey were AGs from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Past U.S. presidents, VPs asked to recheck for classified docs
The National Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to recheck their personal records for any classified documents following the news that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence had such documents in their possession, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The Archives sent a letter Thursday to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents extending back to Ronald Reagan to ensure compliance with the Presidential Records Act, according to the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about investigations. The act states that any records created or received by the president are the property of the U.S. government and will be managed by the archives at the end of the administration. The Archives sent the letter to representatives of former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, and former Vice Presidents Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle, they said. The letter was first reported by CNN. Spokespeople for former presidents Trump, Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton and former vice presidents Pence, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Biden’s lawyers came across classified documents from his time as vice president in a locked cabinet as they were packing up an office he no longer uses in November. Since then, subsequent searches by the FBI and Biden’s lawyers have turned up more documents. Former Vice President Pence, too, this week, discovered documents and turned them in after saying previously he did not believe he had any. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the searches by Biden’s attorneys and the FBI appear to fulfill the Archives’ request. The Archives had no comment. Handling of classified documents has been a problem off and on for decades, from presidents to Cabinet members and staff across multiple administrations stretching as far back as Jimmy Carter. But the issue has taken on greater significance since former President Donald Trump willfully retained classified material at his Florida estate, prompting the unprecedented FBI seizure of thousands of pages of records last year. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Trump’s handling of the documents and also Biden’s. It turns out that officials from all levels of government discover they are in possession of classified material and turn it over to authorities at least several times a year, according to another person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of classified documents. Current and former officials involved in the handling of classified information say that while there are clear policies for how such information should be reviewed and stored, those policies are sometimes pushed aside at the highest levels. Teams of national security officials, secretaries, and military aides who share responsibility for keeping top-level executives informed — and the executives themselves — may bend the rules for convenience, expediency or sometimes simple carelessness. While much of the attention has been on classified information, the Presidential Records Act actually requires that, from the Reagan administration onward, all records must be transferred to the Archives regardless of classification. It’s against federal law to have classified documents at an unauthorized location, but it’s only a crime if it was done intentionally. Speaking Thursday at an unrelated news conference, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that though he could not discuss any specific ongoing investigation, “We have had for quite a number of years any number of mishandling investigations. That is, unfortunately, a regular part of our counterintelligence division’s and counterintelligence program’s work.” He said there was a need for people to be conscious of laws and rules governing the handling of classified information. “Those rules,” he said, “are there for a reason.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Barry Moore appointed to House Judiciary Committee
Congressman Barry Moore was appointed to the House Judiciary Committee. Moore said that it was an “honor” to be appointed to serve on the “prestigious” committee. “It is a great and humbling honor to be appointed to serve on the prestigious House Judiciary Committee and serve alongside my friend and our chairman, Jim Jordan, to defend our foundational American freedoms,” said Rep. Moore. “The Judiciary Committee will be the tip of the spear this Congress fighting to ensure that the American people’s government works to protect their civil liberties, not undermine them to advance a political agenda. With President Biden in the White House, we have a big task ahead, but I’m ready to get to work.” Congressman Jordan is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “We’re excited to welcome all new and returning members of the House Judiciary Committee to the 118th Congress,” Chairman Jordan said in a statement. “House Judiciary Republicans are ready to get to work on the important issues facing the American people by passing legislation that will secure the southern border, investigating the weaponization of the federal government against the American people, and reining in Big Tech’s censorship of free speech.” Chairman Jordan sent letters on Tuesday to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, ATF Director Steve Dettelbach, and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram renewing outstanding requests for communications and documents. Jordan claimed that for two years, the Biden Administration has stonewalled Congress, refused to comply with basic document requests and avoided transparency and accountability for its failures. Jordan said that House Judiciary Republicans are committed to holding each agency accountable under the new majority and will use compulsory processes, if necessary, to get answers for the American people. “Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, we have made several requests for information and documents concerning the operations and actions of the Department of Homeland Security,” Jordan wrote in the letter to Mayorkas. “These requests remain outstanding. As we begin the 118th Congress, we write again to reiterate our outstanding requests and ask that you immediately comply in full.” Mayorkas faces heavy criticism from House Republicans for his handling of the southern border situation and the documented chaos there. “Mayorkas swore an oath to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of [his] office.” Look at the border and the terrible numbers on his watch,” Moore said on social media. “Can anyone make the argument he is discharging the duties of his office well? He has to go, and if Biden won’t hold him accountable, House Republicans must.” Moore was just re-elected to his second term representing Alabama’s Second Congressional District. Moore previously served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018. He was elected to Congress in 2020, after his second run for office. Moore is a veteran. He owns a garbage collection business in Enterprise. He is a graduate of Auburn University. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
House Republicans pledge to use majority to investigate Hunter Biden and the president
House Republican lawmakers are doubling down on investigations into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings and how President Joe Biden may have been involved. Lawmakers at a Thursday news conference argued that Hunter Biden, in particular, used his father’s influence to negotiate business deals overseas that may have used federal resources and even compromised the Biden family. “Evidence obtained by Committee Republicans reveals Joe Biden lied to the American people about his involvement in his family’s business schemes,” House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer, R-Ky., said. “The Biden family business model is built on Joe Biden’s political career and connections with Joe Biden as the ‘chairman of the board.’ Biden family members sold access for profit around the world to the detriment of American interests. If President Biden is compromised by deals with foreign adversaries and they are impacting his decision making, this is a threat to national security.” This is the latest in a string of inquiries and investigations into Hunter Biden, the president, the president’s brother James, and who else may have benefited or been “compromised” in these dealings. “Hunter Biden and James Biden have racked up at least 150 suspicious activity reports for their business transactions,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. said. “How many involved Joe Biden?” The announcement came just hours after Republicans officially learned they claimed a majority in the House, offering a glimpse of how they hope to use their two years in power, especially since they will be unlikely to have any partisan legislative wins. President Joe Biden has repeatedly deflected accusations and defended his son, who is currently under federal investigation. Jordan also raised questions about how tech companies and federal agencies have worked together to suppress information that could have damaged the Biden campaign, as reporting has shown. “I think there are all kinds of questions that need to be answered, and we are determined to get there,” Jordan said. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have sent letters to six top Biden administration officials requesting documents, communications, records, and other information. Those inquiries have been sent to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen requesting Suspicious Activity Reports, a letter to Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall seeking information about the potential use of Air Force Two for family business during the Obama administration. The lawmakers also have reached out to Hunter’s associate Eric Schwerin and financial advisor Edward Prewitt. They are also requesting information from FBI Director Christopher Wray about Hunter Biden’s assistant and alleged connections to the Chinese Communist Party. The lawmakers were likely emboldened by the GOP taking control of the House, meaning Republicans will have the committee chairmanships and greater teeth to their investigations. “The American people deserve transparency and accountability about the Biden family’s influence peddling,” Comer said. “With the new Republican majority, Oversight Committee Republicans will continue pressing for answers to inform legislative solutions to prevent this abuse of power.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Joe Guzzardi: White House shrugs at Chinese espionage
A federal jury in Chicago recently found Chinese national Ji Chaoqun, 31, a member of the U.S. Army reserves, guilty of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government. The jury also found Chaoqun guilty of one count of making false statements to the U.S. Army during his application process. Ji enlisted in 2016 via the controversial Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program (MAVNI) – an initiative allowing U.S. military offices to hire legal aliens deemed sufficiently useful for service. In light of Ji’s conviction, the MAVNI program should be re-evaluated. In a statement, the Department of Justice said that Chaoqun worked for intelligence agents that operated within the Chinese government. In that capacity, he attempted to recruit engineers and scientists on behalf of the Chinese Intelligence Ministry. Ji arrived in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa to study electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, which had forged ties with Chinese universities and colleges. During the academic year 2020/2021, 317,299 Chinese students were enrolled in U.S. academic institutions. China is the major sender of international students to U.S. college campuses. Among all international graduates, more than a million have remained in the U.S. and work as part of the Optional Practical Training Program. They have displaced American information technology employees or aspiring college degree holders looking for jobs. Chaoqun’s conviction is the latest in a growing list of Chinese nationals who have infiltrated, with little difficulty, the federal government, academia, and U.S. corporations. Because of the victims’ high profiles, the two most well-known Chinese spy cases are Fang Fang, California U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s mistress, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s chauffer and aide for two decades. At the time, Feinstein was the Senate Intelligence Committee chair. When the FBI investigations heated up, the two Chinese operatives fled the country and returned home. No further information about them has been gleaned. The conclusion is, however, that if two low-level Chinese spies can access the U.S. Congress, then infiltration must be a snap. If China represents the biggest threat to the U.S., as FBI Director Christopher Wray and others insist, then tighter oversight on arriving Chinese nationals is paramount. Wray said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has implemented a multi-layered, generational campaign with the goal to become the world’s economic and technological leader. Wray listed economic espionage, data hacking, intellectual property theft, bribery, blackmail, and other coercive attempts “to sway our government’s policies, distort our country’s public discourse, and undermine confidence in our democratic processes and values.” The FBI director could have pointed to Swalwell and Feinstein as examples to drive his point home. In June 2015, Chinese hackers stole the personal data of 145 million Americans when they accessed the Office of Personnel Management’s servers. With a warning from Wray, a top-ranking law enforcement officer, and documented case history to support his concerns, the federal government should, at a minimum, be on high alert to China’s efforts to undermine the government. Instead, the Biden administration proceeds blasély on its existing course and may accelerate Chinese nationals’ admissions and their path to citizenship. In February, the President’s Advisory Commission of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) held its first-ever meeting. Joe Biden established the commission through a 2021 executive order and appointed Health and Human Services Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai to co-chair. The 25 individual commissioners have extensive involvement in diversity and equity issues. Six subcommittees were formed to advance equity, justice, and opportunity, including a subcommittee to address immigration and citizenship. Whenever the Biden administration talks about immigration in the same breath with equity, justice, and opportunity, the takeaway is more immigration which in turn means more employment permits granted to immigrants and fewer jobs for Americans. AANHPI is toiling in obscurity and will be disbanded when a new Congress takes over in January 2023. But the commission reflects Biden’s mindset; equity for all except working Americans, and specifically border city residents whose communities migrants have overrun, and whose lifestyles have been altered, possibly forever, by the president’s unshakeable commitment to open borders. Joe Guzzardi is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist who writes about immigration and related social issues. Joe joined Progressives for Immigration Reform in 2018 as an analyst after a ten-year career directing media relations for Californians for Population Stabilization, where he also was a Senior Writing Fellow. A native Californian, Joe now lives in Pennsylvania. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.
Republicans notably silent, split as Donald Trump probe deepens
At first, Republicans were highly critical of the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, but as new details emerge about the more than 100 classified documents the former president haphazardly stashed at his private club, Republicans have grown notably silent. The deepening investigation into Trump’s handling of sensitive government information has disclosed damaging and unsettling new details. With every court filing, there is new information about the cache of documents the former president took with him from the White House and the potential national security concerns. While the unprecedented search has galvanized many Republicans to Trump’s defense, others in the party are unwilling to speak up, often wary of crossing him. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declined to respond Wednesday when asked about the latest developments in the Justice Department’s probe. “I don’t have any observations about that,” McConnell told reporters in Kentucky. The silence speaks volumes for a party whose president won the White House after rousing voters in rally chants of “Lock Her Up!” Trump pilloried Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton for using a personal email account and server during her time as Secretary of State. She quickly complied with investigators and was not charged. The investigation also is posing a new test of Republican loyalty to Trump from lawmakers who are relying on him for their political livelihoods, particularly ahead of the midterm elections. Battle lines among Republicans infighting over Trump quickly emerged Wednesday after the latest court filing, in which Justice Department said that the FBI’s August 8 search had produced more than 100 documents with “classified markings” at Mar-a-Lago — twice as many as Trump’s team had turned over earlier this summer. In Tuesday’s late filing, the Justice Department laid out in stark detail how it had developed evidence “that government records were likely concealed and removed” from a storage room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. The filing described the lengthy process of trying to retrieve government documents taken when Trump left the White House in early 2021. The Justice Department explained how Trump’s legal team had said documents were only being kept in the storage room, but the search also found documents in the former president’s office. It said some of the newly found documents were so sensitive that even Justice Department attorneys and FBI counterintelligence personnel required additional clearances before they could review the material. The Justice Department said, “efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” It produced a photograph of some of the classified documents found as evidence. The filing said flatly that the government believes “obstructive conduct” has occurred. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney — one of the former president’s fiercest critics, who recently lost her own primary for reelection — tweeted the photo: “Yet more indefensible conduct by Donald Trump revealed this morning.” But Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, once a rival to Trump for the White House, has saved his criticizing for federal law enforcement as he defended the former president. “The FBI’s raid was a horrific ‘abuse of power,’” Cruz tweeted just before the Tuesday filing. He said, “there needs to be ‘a complete housecleaning’ at FBI.” He was among several Republican lawmakers and congressional candidates who were fundraising this week off their complaints about the Justice Department. Cruz’s office did not respond to a request for fresh comments Wednesday. The Texas senator is not alone in turning his criticism away from Trump and onto the federal authorities conducting the investigation and search. The Republican Party that once stood for law and order has been cleaved by Trump’s actions, some in the starkest, most alarming tones. In the immediate aftermath of the search, Republicans largely rallied around Trump and demanded more information from the Justice Department. House and Senate Republicans, and some Democrats, sought hearings and briefings. But as new information emerges, including the court’s release last week of the federal affidavit supporting the search and Tuesday’s Justice Department filing, it may make it more difficult for Trump’s allies to defend the former president and his team’s actions. Some Republican supporters of Trump focused on the photograph of classified documents included as evidence in the Justice Department filing. Though the documents were shielded, the critics suggested if the information was so secret, it should not have been publicly released. “You people are so bad at this,” tweeted Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., directing her criticism as much at Democrats and those sharing the image. The risks of the heated rhetoric against the nation’s law enforcement have been clear. A police shooting of a man who tried to breach the FBI’s Cincinnati field office showed the danger. FBI Director Christopher Wray criticized those attacking the agency and urged agents to be cautious in public. Ahead of the midterm elections, Trump’s ability to dominate the political stage is welcomed by House Republicans, who are relying on his presence to bolster voter enthusiasm and turnout as they try to win back majority control. Some have encouraged him to swiftly announce his own campaign to run again for the White House. Senate Republicans, however, are growing concerned that Trump is stealing the focus away from what they would prefer to be an election referendum on President Joe Biden’s performance in the White House. As Biden steps up his own efforts to help his party retain control of Congress, he is focusing on Trump-styled candidates in the Republican ranks, with a more aggressive tone and an emphasis on the risks to democracy that have become a motivating issue for Democrats. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, a former federal prosecutor, said the latest court filing was “devastating” for Trump. “What is most striking are the facts outlining how the former president and his team knowingly put our national security at risk,” Schiff wrote on Twitter. The congressman, who led Trump’s first impeachment, urged the Justice Department to continue its probe and “follow the facts.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama leads nation in eliminating Chinese Communist Party influence in higher education
Lawmakers hailing from both sides of the aisle in Washington are shifting their focus to an increasingly relevant threat towards national security and academic freedom: Confucius Institutes. Funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), these institutes have expanded to over 67 individual university campuses nationwide, with an additional 500 Confucius Classrooms at K-12 schools. Ambiguously labeled as cultural centers, Confucius Institutes have simultaneously proven themselves to be a vehicle of China’s political agenda through propaganda and intelligence gathering. Within these classrooms, historical events are only permitted to be discussed through a rosy lens towards the Chinese government, while documented events such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, or the current human rights abuses against the Uyghurs, are prohibited from the entirety of classroom discourse. During a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray confirmed that the FBI has observed China use “nontraditional collectors, especially in the academic setting” to engage in espionage and will continue to take “investigative steps” at Confucius Institutes. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State designated Confucius Institutes as “an entity advancing Beijing’s global propaganda and malign influence campaign on U.S. campuses and K-12 classrooms.” The state of Alabama has hosted two Confucius Institutes in its history; with established institutes at Alabama A&M University, Auburn University at Montgomery, and Troy University. Alabama A&M University’s Confucius Institute successfully closed in April 2021 after receiving notification of a potential loss of eligibility for federal funds. Other key actors in the state who advocated for the closure of Confucius Institutes include groups such as the College Republican Federation of Alabama as well as legislators Congressman Mo Brooks and State Representative Tommy Hanes (R-Bryant). Congressman Mo Brooks, a member of Alabama’s congressional delegation, was one of the initial Washington lawmakers to bring attention to the influence of Confucius Institutes. Brooks has served as an original cosponsor for the Higher Education Transparency Act, the Transparency for Confucius Institutes Act, the Foreign Influence Transparency Act, in addition to bipartisan effort, the Concerns Over Nations Funding University Campus Institutes in the United States (CONFUCIUS) Act. While the state of Alabama has made national headway in approaching the closure of Confucius Institutes within its state, not all of Alabama’s leading figures are zealous to join the national movement to limit foreign influence in the U.S. education system. Alabama House Bill 9 and Senate Bill 280, respectively, intended to cease funding of Confucius Institutes and were both opposed by Chair of the House Education Policy Committee, Terri Collins (R-Decatur), and Senator Jim McClendon. It was later revealed that Senator McClendon embarked on a 2015 Confucius Institute-sponsored trip to China. A number of former Alabama legislators, including a Troy University board of trustees member, also participated in the same Confucius Institute-sponsored international trip. Troy University continues to defend its relationship with its Confucius Institutes in a written statement, “Troy University’s association with the Confucius Institute has been positive, and we have seen no evidence of undue political influence from the Chinese government nor has there been any evidence of intellectual theft.” Time will tell if the state of Alabama will continue to lead the nation in defending national security and preserving academic freedom through the closure of the state’s last remaining Confucius Institute at Troy University.
Joe Biden, lawmakers warn of foreign interference in election
Biden said in a statement that he would treat foreign interference as an “an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nation’s government.”
