A deadline set by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer for the FBI to hand over documents related to a probe focusing on Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, has now passed.
Comer set August 30 as the final day on which the bureau could turn in any information over an alleged "long-standing" connection Walz has to China. It is not immediately clear whether the request has been satisfied.
The probe is focused on any "Chinese entity or individual with whom Mr. Walz may have engaged or partnered." It also seeks any "documents and communications between the FBI and Governor Walz or the Office of the Governor of Minnesota pertaining to warnings or guidance about subnational government officials engaging with the PRC, CCP and the CCP's proxies."
The Republican lawmaker said in a letter in mid-August that "recent reporting reveals that Governor Walz has concerning ties to the People's Republic of China," and that this makes him susceptible to being influenced to the "the benefit of the communist regime and the detriment of Americans." Walz has not publicly reacted to the probe.
One example listed by Comer says that Walz, as a teacher in the early 1990s, organized a trip to China, with the costs being "paid by the Chinese government." "In 1994, Mr. Walz set up a private company named 'Educational Travel Adventures, Inc.,' which coordinated annual student trips to the PRC until 2003, and was led by Mr. Walz himself," said Comer, adding that the tie was ended four years later after Walz became a congressional official.
He also claimed 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.
Comer went on to say that the committee he leads was briefed by the FBI on the matter on April 22 and July 17, before Walz was announced as Kamala Harris' running mate.
"Despite bipartisan efforts to identify and defeat CCP unrestricted warfare against America, Governor Walz continues problematic engagement with concerning entities and individuals," Comer wrote.
The letter concludes by noting that Walz described himself as someone who does not "fall into the category that China necessarily needs to be an adversarial relationship," and that he said he "'applaud (s) the accomplishments of the Chinese people and recognize (s) that some in the Chinese Government advocate for greater rule of law'" despite his knowledge and condemnation of communist China's human right violations.
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