by Kyle Becker at The Politics Brief
The Department of Energy (DOE) quietly held meetings with members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) , according to a letter penned by Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso.
Barrasso alleges in his letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm that DOE officials met with CCP officials or businesspeople at least four times since October 2023. Barrasso characterized the meetings as a possible national security risk given the CCP’s demonstrated desire to co-opt American scientists and intellectual property for their own benefit, also highlighting the fact that DOE did not publicize the meetings — previously reported only by Chinese media outlets — to the American people.
“I have learned that these meetings went beyond mere diplomatic courtesies. In some instances, they served as forums in which the taxpayer-funded research and development of our national labs was offered up for the benefit of Chinese state-owned enterprises and, by extension, the CCP,” Barrasso wrote. “The fact that DOE engaged in such misguided interactions, especially in light of the People’s Republic of China’s persistent and pervasive theft of the United States’ scientific and intellectual assets, is profoundly alarming. The apparent desire to keep these meetings shielded from the American public’s scrutiny, with coverage found exclusively within Chinese media outlets, raises significant concern about DOE’s transparency and broader collaboration with the CCP.”…
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