President-elect Donald Trump plans to crackdown on Chinese espionage during his incoming administration by directing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to “hunt down Chinese spies.”
In February 2023, Trump addressed the topic of Chinese espionage in the U.S. after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down and removed from U.S. airspace.
In a video posted by his campaign, Trump said at the time, “As President, I took the most dramatic action of any administration to curtail China’s ability to conduct espionage in the United States—and when I’m back in the White House, those efforts will be expanded in a very, very big way.”
“Instead of hunting down Republicans, a reformed FBI and Justice Department will be hunting down Chinese spies,” Trump added.
In 2018, Trump’s DOJ launched the 2018 China Initiative that focused on countering Chinese espionage, however, the program was shut down during the Biden-Harris administration after critics claimed the initiative amounted to “racial profiling” against Asian Americans.
Trump said he will resurrect the program and implement new strategies to identify Chinese espionage in the U.S., stressing how Chinese spies have infiltrated U.S. businesses, finance, academia, technology, media, and “likely even government.”
“We will create new partnerships with businesses and universities to give them the tools to protect themselves from insider threats,” Trump said.
Trump added that his administration will also “impose whatever visa sanctions and travel restrictions are necessary to shut off Chinese access to American secrets in compliance with our demands and in compliance with our laws.”
On Wednesday, Trump nominated Florida U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) to serve as U.S. Attorney General, which oversees the Department of Justice, in his administration.
“Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump said.
Watch the statment:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
