House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Documents After Whistleblower Provides Information on Tim Walz and the Chinese Communist Party

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has issued a subpoena after a whistleblower disclosed allegations of a "longstanding connection" between Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Walz, who is also the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, is under scrutiny for these ties, according to the committee.

“According to recently received whistleblower disclosures, we’ve learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees and additional intelligence reports that contain information regarding a longstanding connection between the CCP and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,” the committee posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The committee’s chair, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, has subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release classified and unclassified documents related to these discussions, focusing on Walz’s alleged connections to China.

In a statement on their website, the committee explained that it is probing China’s "infiltration and influence campaign to weaken and corrupt the United States."

“During briefings held with over twenty federal agencies, the Committee has learned of the CCP’s efforts to influence subnational government leaders, including state governors. In August, Chairman Comer launched an investigation into Governor Walz following reports detailing the Governor’s longstanding connections to CCP entities and officials,” the statement read.

Rep. Comer also sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, highlighting the committee’s receipt of whistleblower disclosures. The information shared concerns "a longstanding connection between the CCP and Minnesota Governor Timothy James Walz."

The letter pointed to a Microsoft Teams group chat involving DHS employees, titled "NST NFT Bi-Weekly Sync," which allegedly contains crucial information regarding Governor Walz and the CCP that is relevant to the investigation.

Comer emphasized that the committee’s investigation into CCP influence began well before Walz’s nomination as the vice-presidential candidate alongside Kamala Harris. The investigation aims to uncover the extent of the CCP’s influence in the U.S. and propose legislative reforms to combat the political warfare targeting American leaders.

“If a state governor and major political party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States has been a witting or unwitting participant in the CCP’s efforts to weaken our nation, this would strongly suggest that there are alarming weaknesses in the federal government’s effort to defend the United States from the CCP’s political warfare that must be urgently addressed,” Comer stated, urging that all relevant information be provided in an unredacted format.

Comer has previously noted the lack of cooperation from the Biden-Harris administration regarding requests for information on Walz.

“On August 16, 2024, the Committee requested information about the CCP-affiliated entities and officials with which Mr. Timothy Walz has engaged, as well as any warnings or information the Federal Bureau of Investigation has provided to Mr. Walz or his office about CCP influence operations,” Comer noted in a September press release.

The requested documents were not provided by the deadline, leading Comer to criticize the FBI’s "silence" regarding Walz’s connections to CCP affiliates, which allegedly date back to 1993.

Walz has reportedly been involved in a program linked to China’s Belt and Road initiative, which seeks to expand China's global influence.

“Governor Walz has visited China, by his memory, roughly 30 times. During the 118th Congress, the Committee has investigated federal agencies’ responses to CCP influence and infiltration tactics, including the FBI’s own strategy,” Comer remarked in a statement last month.

He added, “In July 2024, the FBI briefed the Oversight Committee on CCP influence operations. In part based on that briefing, Governor Walz’s history with CCP-affiliates bears characteristics of CCP influence operations.”