Press Releases

Rep. Ralph Norman Leads Letter Requesting the Dept. of Justice Investigate White House Advisor's Connection to the Chinese Communist Party

Washington, D.C., September 21, 2022 | Austin Livingston (202-740-8973)

On Wednesday, Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05) led a letter requesting Attorney General Merrick Garland investigate the connection between John Podesta, President Biden’s newly appointed White House Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation & Implementation, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Background

John Podesta’s appointment on September 2, 2022 came less than a week prior to the Biden Administration announcing a rollback of Trump-era restrictions on Huawei, a Chinese based telecommunication corporation.

The timing of Podesta's appointment calls into question the motive behind easing such restrictions. Huawei was previously sanctioned by the U.S. when the company was accused of using its software to access critical U.S. data and intelligence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) previously determined Huawei’s equipment was capable of compromising highly restricted military communications.

Public disclosure forms released in early 2022 revealed Huawei paid John Podesta’s brother, Tony Podesta, a total of $1 Million in 2021 to lobby the Biden administration on its behalf.

Additionally, John Podesta sits on the board of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has funded Chinese propaganda at U.S. Universities.

Rep. Norman's letter requests the Department of Justice investigate John Podesta’s connection to the CCP and provide necessary documents such as John Podesta’s employment history, his signed pledge to the ethics code of his office, and documents that verify his brother Tony’s compliance with lobbying rules.

Statement

“John Podesta will oversee a budget of approximately $370 billion as he steps into his new role,” said Rep. Ralph Norman. “A connection between John Podesta, his brother Tony Podesta, and the Chinese Communist Party certainly raises eyebrows concerning our national security. It's important for the Department of Justice to ensure there's nothing nefarious about this activity by corroborating the relationships and timelines.”