Diplomat fired over relationship with woman linked to Chinese Communist Party
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A U.S. diplomat was fired Wednesday after the State Department learned he was romantically involved with a Chinese woman accused of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party, Fox News confirmed.
State Department Deputy Chief Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement that President Donald Trump reviewed the case and approved the diplomat’s dismissal. He said the diplomat “admitted to concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
“Under Secretary Rubio’s leadership, we will maintain a policy of zero tolerance for any employee caught undermining our country’s national security,” Pigott added.
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The national flags of the United States and China fly at the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China, on April 25, 2024. (Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)
Although the diplomat’s identity has not been officially disclosed, Fox News has learned that he appeared in a video by Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe. O’Keefe was removed from Project Veritas in 2023 and currently runs similar undercover camera operations through the O’Keefe Media Group (OMG).
in videoThe man in question, believed to be the diplomat, told an OMG undercover journalist that he was “defying my government for the sake of love.” He also said in the video that he “could have been a spy” and that his father was “clearly Communist Party”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, delivers an important speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP in Beijing, China, July 1, 2021. (Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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A Chinese government spokesman in Beijing declined to comment on what he described as an internal US matter.
“But I would like to emphasize that we are against drawing borders based on ideological difference and maliciously slandering China,” Guo Jiakun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the daily briefing, according to the Associated Press. he said.
In January, as the Biden administration was coming to an end, the U.S. government moved to ban American government personnel in China from having sexual or romantic relationships with Chinese citizens, the AP reported. This ban also applied to contractors with security clearances and relatives of American government personnel.
The Trump administration intensified its scrutiny of Chinese citizens studying at U.S. universities in May after several students allegedly engaged in covert activities, including espionage.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that the State Department and Department of Homeland Security planned to “aggressively revoke” student visas for Chinese citizens “including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Donald Trump said 600,000 Chinese students could be allowed to study at universities in the US until a potential trade deal is signed with China. (Fox News)
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But the president’s effort to open the door to 600,000 Chinese students in late August sparked backlash and left conservatives wondering why the administration was making the move. Trump said he believes it is important for Chinese students to be in the United States, but the country needs to be careful and keep track of who is coming.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Chinese government representatives for comment.
Nicholas Kalman of Fox News, Ashley Oliver and Cameron Arcand of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
