Tipsheet

Oversight Chair Subpoenas Mayorkas Over Tim Walz's Ties to CCP

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 30, 2024 3:00 PM

On Monday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a subpoena to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to find out more information on Gov. Tim Walz's (D-MN) ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While there's reference to how Walz is indeed the Democratic vice presidential nominee, the subpoena's cover letter notes that the Committee's investigation goes back "long before" Vice President Kamala Harris selected Walz as her running mate.

Comer's cover letter begins by referencing how his Committee has been conducting "a government-wide investigation of how federal agencies are addressing the infiltration and influence campaign to weaken and corrupt the United States undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)." Such an investigation has involved briefings with over 20 federal agencies, which is how the Committee learned of "the emphasis the CCP has placed on influencing subnational  government leaders, including state governors." 

On such a note, whistleblower disclosures speak to concerns that DHS personnel have with "a longstanding connection" between Walz and the CCP. 

"Specifically, through whistleblower disclosures, the Committee has learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees—titled “NST NFT Bi-Weekly Sync”—that contains  information about Governor Walz that is relevant to the Committee’s investigation. The Committee has also learned that further relevant information regarding Governor Walz has been memorialized in both classified and unclassified documents in the control of DHS," Comer further explains. 

As Comer's letter reminds, the CCP considers America to be its "main enemy." Thus, that a sitting governor as well as a major party's vice presidential nominee is potentially so connected to such an enemy raises alarming concerns. Again, this goes beyond Walz being selected as Harris' running mate, though. 

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"The Committee’s investigation of the CCP—begun long before Governor Walz was elevated to be the vice-presidential candidate for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala  Harris—seeks to understand the extent of the CCP’s infiltration and influence campaign and to identify legislative reforms to combat CCP political warfare targeting prominent Americans for elite capture. In particular, 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 continues, with added emphasis. 

Comer further explains that "the Committee is currently considering legislative solutions to ameliorate deficiencies it already has identified among government agencies’ strategies to combat CCP political warfare."

Information from Mayorkas is thus needed to "inform the Committee’s understanding of how successful the CCP has been in waging political warfare in and against the United States, how effectively federal agencies are addressing the communist regime’s campaign, and what reforms are necessary to counter this threat."

The attached subpoena commands Mayorkas to appear before the Committee on October 7, and requires the DHS to produce unredacted records that the department or its offices are in possession, custody, or control of. 

Those required documents include:

  • All documents and communications in the Microsoft Teams group chat "NST NFT Bi-Weekly Sync" from July 1, 2024, to present, including all accompanying, uploaded, or imbedded attachments and documents, referring or relating to Minnesota Governor Timothy J. Walz (or the office and/or staff of Governor Walz); and

  • All Intelligence Information Reports and Regional Intelligence Notes (including these documents that have been titled or categorized differently) from November 2023 to present related to Minnesota Governor Timothy J. Walz (or the office and/or staff of Governor Walz).

As Katie covered at the time last month, Comer announced in mid-August that he had launched a connection into Walz's ties to the CCP. Guy also covered Walz's connections with the CCP last month, which includes a deep fascination. Walz and his wife purposefully got married on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and honeymooned in China. If that wasn't enough, he also led CCP-funded trips for students, which support from and even arrangements made by China.

It looks to be a rather newsworthy week for Walz, as he will be debating his Republican counterpart, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) in a CBS News debate on Tuesday night.