Loeffler Asks Federal Officials to Investigate Potential Election Interference by Chinese Communist Party

Cites Reports of Foreign Governments Seeking to Influence Elections by Funding American Nonprofits

ATLANTA – U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) has asked the U.S. Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to investigate possible foreign election interference by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
 
Loeffler sent a letter urging U.S. Attorney General William Barr, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and DNI John Ratcliffe to investigate if foreign governments are donating money to American nonprofits in an attempt to interfere with the upcoming U.S. elections.
 
“I write today to request an investigation be opened into the use of American nonprofit organizations by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the purpose of interfering with, or otherwise influencing, United States elections and policies,” writes Loeffler. “The Chinese government has sought to undermine America’s interests for decades and recent reports indicate it is seeking to use its influence to interfere in our elections. With the November elections just 26 days away, we must ensure no foreign nation is able to circumvent or abuse the laws and rules of our great country to attack and undermine our free and fair elections.
 
“When asked who the biggest threat to U.S. elections was, Attorney General Barr has stated, ‘In my opinion, its China…Not just to the election process, but, I think, across the board.’  U.S Director of National Intelligence Ratcliffe has stated that ‘China poses a greater national security threat to the U.S. than any other nation…that includes threats of election influence and interference.’
 
“The U.S. government must ensure no foreign adversary has the ability to influence or interfere with our free and fair elections, or unduly influence American policy, especially when the actions of such government pose a serious threat to our national security.”
 
Read the full letter here.
 
Background:
 
Loeffler has taken several actions to hold the CCP accountable, including introducing or cosponsoring the following bills:

  • The BEAT CHINA Act to incentivize pharmaceutical and medical device and supply manufacturers to relocate from China to the United States;
  • The Enforcing Accountability and Transparency in International Trade Act to ensure China is not bending international trade rules at the expense of American farmers and ranchers;
  • The Preventing Essential Medical Device Shortages Act to avert the shortage of essential medical devices during a public health emergency or epidemic;
  • The Li Wenliang Global Public Health Accountability Act to authorize the president to sanction foreign officials who suppress or distort information about COVID-19 and other public health emergencies of international concern;
  • The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act to authorize sanctions against those in China who commit human rights abuses against the Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR);
  • The Protecting Human Rights During Pandemic Act to address the excessive surveillance measures and other human rights violations perpetrated by countries around the world under the guise of COVID-19 response;
  • A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Hong Kong national security law proposed by the Government of the People’s Republic of China would violate the obligations of that government under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Hong Kong Basic Law and calling upon all free nations of the world to stand with the people of Hong Kong;
  • The Protecting America From Spies Act to empower the U.S. State Department to deny visas to individuals who have committed acts of espionage or intellectual property theft against America;
  • A bill to direct the U.S. Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization (WHO), and for other purposes;
  • A bill to prohibit the use of federal funds for purchasing animals from wet markets in China, and for other purposes;
  • The Countering Chinese Attempts at Snooping Act to thwart Chinese surveillance by prohibiting U.S. federal employees from conducting official business over platforms run by Chinese companies the U.S. Department of State determines are used for such activities;
  • The Expanding Medical Partnerships with Israel to Lessen Dependence on China Act to enhance the partnership between the United States and Israel in developing health technologies to combat COVID-19 in order to lessen our dependence on China;
  • The Securing America’s Medicine Cabinet Act to strengthen the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain and incentivize manufacturing to return to the U.S; and
  • The Multilateral Aid Review Act to review U.S. contributions to multilateral organizations to determine if such contributions—and the behavior of such organizations—advance U.S. interests, after the WHO parroted the CCP’s misinformation on COVID-19; and
  • The Civil Justice for Victims of COVID Act to hold the CCP accountable by allowing Americans to sue China for their role in the spread of COVID-19.

 
Loeffler has sent the following letters to hold the CCP accountable:

  • A letter to the administration asking them to hold China accountable for COVID-19 in the next round of trade negotiations;
  • Joint letter to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations asking that they address China’s suppression of free speech during the pandemic;
  • Joint letter to the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Treasury expressing concern over the economic impact of COVID-19 in the developing world and how that impact can be exacerbated by China’s debt-trap diplomacy;
  • Joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemning China’s recent crackdown on Hong Kong and encouraging the administration to consider welcoming Hong Kong refugees into the country;
  • Joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing concern about reports that the CCP is forcefully sterilizing Uyghurs; and
  • Joint letter to the CEO of Disney inquiring about the company’s cooperation with CCP authorities in the XUAR during the filming of Mulan.
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Issues
National Security