James Comer mounts crackdown on Chinese Communist Party’s influence in US after TikTok bill vote
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is embarking on a “government-wide” probe of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence within the US one day after legislation passed in the House that could ban TikTok stateside.
Comer (R-Ky.) blasted out requests to nine different government agencies Wednesday seeking information on steps taken to mitigate any potential infiltration campaigns by the CCP within the US.
“Without firing a single bullet, the Chinese Communist Party is waging war against the U.S. by targeting, influencing, and infiltrating every economic sector and community in America,” Comer said in a statement.
Comer plans to reach out to additional government agencies and convene hearings on efforts within the federal government to undercut potential CCP influence operations within the US, according to his office.
The Kentuckian announced the move Thursday, a day after the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring video-sharing platform TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell off the popular social media service within the next six months or face a ban from the Google and Apple app stores.
President Biden has indicated he would sign that measure into law, but it has to clear the Senate first.
Comer is particularly keen on clarifying the potential CCP influence within US critical infrastructure, education, research, energy, agriculture, business, space, and technology sectors.
“The Oversight Committee has a responsibility to ensure the federal government is taking every action necessary to protect Americans from the CCP’s ongoing political warfare,” he added.
“Actions taken by the Committee today are just the beginning and I look forward to full cooperation from agencies as we work to thwart China’s efforts to influence.”
The agencies Comer reached out to include: The Justice Department, Department of Agriculture, EPA, Drug Enforcement Agency, US Agency for Global Media, Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, NASA, Federal Energy Regulation Commission, and National Science Foundation.
He gave the agencies until March 20 to brief the Oversight Committee’s staff on their efforts to scuttle Beijing’s potential inflation efforts and answer his questions.
For example, he is seeking answers from the DOJ about efforts to train employees on “handling China matters regarding the threat of CCP” and any potential outreach to US businesses about CCP threats.
Questions varied between the different agencies he contacted.
Biden has pushed for managed competition with China and sought to ease bitterly strained relations. He met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Woodside, Calif. last November.
Administration officials repeatedly huddled with their Chinese counterparts on various occasions last year, as an overture to the global superpower.
