Office of Governor Walz & Lt. Governor Flanagan,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Joshua Villanueva | UC Law San Francisco, US
AUGUST 18, 2024
THE JURIST
AUGUST 18, 2024
THE JURIST
The US House of Representatives Oversight Committee led by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) launched an investigation on Friday into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s alleged connections to China.
Rep. Comer sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, demanding information on Chinese entities and individuals connected to Governor Walz. Comer is seeking any documents and communications between Walz’s office and the FBI, specifically regarding warnings or guidance about government officials engaging with Chinese government representatives or their proxies.
In a statement on Friday, Comer said:
Americans should be deeply concerned that Governor Walz, Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential running mate, has a long-standing and cozy relationship with China, Mr. Walz has visited China dozens of times, served as a fellow at a Chinese institution that maintains a devotion to the CCP, and spoke alongside the President of a Chinese organization the State Department exposed as a CCP effort to influence and co-opt local leaders.
Governor Walz first went to China in 1989, participating in a Harvard University teach-abroad program where he spent a year teaching English and American history. Later, he founded Educational Travel Adventures, organizing trips to China. In 2007, Governor Walz was a fellow at Macao Polytechnic University. Despite these ties, he has been a vocal critic of China, meeting with the Dalai Lama and a Hong Kong democracy activist, and supporting the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in the House when he served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
The latest investigation marks a continuation of House Republicans’ efforts to scrutinize their top political rivals. As the 19-month impeachment inquiry on President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings wraps up, Republicans are now directing their investigatory focus toward the Harris-Walz ticket. Friday’s new probe comes on the heels of Comer launching an investigation last week into Harris’s involvement in immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, casting her as Biden’s “border czar” as Republicans try to connect her to the rise in migrant numbers.
A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee Democrats stated that Comer’s new investigation into Walz “is nothing more than a political stunt to aid the former president.”
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), currently running for Senate, has also voiced concerns about Governor Walz’s trips to China. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week, Rep. Banks questioned whether Walz adhered to foreign travel reporting requirements for his security clearance during his visits to China while serving in the National Guard.
Rep. Comer sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, demanding information on Chinese entities and individuals connected to Governor Walz. Comer is seeking any documents and communications between Walz’s office and the FBI, specifically regarding warnings or guidance about government officials engaging with Chinese government representatives or their proxies.
In a statement on Friday, Comer said:
Americans should be deeply concerned that Governor Walz, Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential running mate, has a long-standing and cozy relationship with China, Mr. Walz has visited China dozens of times, served as a fellow at a Chinese institution that maintains a devotion to the CCP, and spoke alongside the President of a Chinese organization the State Department exposed as a CCP effort to influence and co-opt local leaders.
Governor Walz first went to China in 1989, participating in a Harvard University teach-abroad program where he spent a year teaching English and American history. Later, he founded Educational Travel Adventures, organizing trips to China. In 2007, Governor Walz was a fellow at Macao Polytechnic University. Despite these ties, he has been a vocal critic of China, meeting with the Dalai Lama and a Hong Kong democracy activist, and supporting the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in the House when he served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
The latest investigation marks a continuation of House Republicans’ efforts to scrutinize their top political rivals. As the 19-month impeachment inquiry on President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings wraps up, Republicans are now directing their investigatory focus toward the Harris-Walz ticket. Friday’s new probe comes on the heels of Comer launching an investigation last week into Harris’s involvement in immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, casting her as Biden’s “border czar” as Republicans try to connect her to the rise in migrant numbers.
A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee Democrats stated that Comer’s new investigation into Walz “is nothing more than a political stunt to aid the former president.”
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), currently running for Senate, has also voiced concerns about Governor Walz’s trips to China. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week, Rep. Banks questioned whether Walz adhered to foreign travel reporting requirements for his security clearance during his visits to China while serving in the National Guard.
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