House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, as he claims the government entity he leads has information relevant to his investigation about Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz's "connections" to China.
Concretely, Comer claims to have learned through a whistleblower about a "non-classified" group chat comprising DHS personnel that "contains information about Governor Walz that is relevant to the Committee's investigation."
"The Committee has also learned that further relevant information regarding Governor Walz has been memorialized in both classified and unclassified documents in control of DHS," Comer's letter adds.
He doesn't specify the nature of the information, but recalls that the investigation "seeks to understand the extent of the CCP's infiltration and influence campaign and to identify legislative reforms to combat CCP political warfare targeting prominent Americans for elite capture."
He goes on to say that Walz could have been a "witting or unwitting participant in the CCP's efforts to weaken our nation," and if that was the case it would illustrate "alarming weaknesses in the federal government's effort to defend the United States from the CCP's political warfare that must be urgently addressed."
The lawmaker doesn't give Mayorkas a hard deadline to provide the information, something it has done with the FBI as it sought related documentation. Comer has claimed Walz's ties with the Chinese government are "myriad and substantial." "In 1993, Mr. Walz organized a trip to the PRC for his Alliance High School students; the costs for the trip were paid in part by the Chinese government," he recalled when asking the FBI for information.
He also said that Walz traveled to China about "30 times," that during his time in Congress, he served as a fellow at the Macau Polytechnic University and that in 2019 he headlined the 27th National Convention for the U.S. China Peoples Friendship Association in Minnesota.
"The Committee is concerned that Mr. Walz's involvement with Chinese entities and officials may have allowed the CCP to influence his decision-making as a congressman and governor and potentially would allow the CCP to influence the White House should Mr. Walz be elected vice president." the document adds.
Comer gave FBI Director Christopher Wray until September 19 to provide the documentation requested, but it's unclear whether the demand was complied with.
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