Former President Donald Trump said Friday that if he returned to the White House, a “reformed FBI and Justice Department” would be “hunting down Chinese spies,” not Republicans.
“As president, I established a special initiative at the Department of Justice tasked with the sole mission of targeting Chinese espionage in the United States. Joe Biden terminated that program right away, suggesting that it was somehow racist,” Trump said in the video. “According to published reports, this came shortly after 160 faculty members of the University of Pennsylvania, where I went to school, the Wharton School of Finance, home of the now infamous Biden Center, wrote to Merrick Garland and demanded that the Chinese espionage initiative be shut down immediately.” (RELATED: ‘This Is Really Egregious’: Former Trump Nat Sec Official Slams Biden Admin’s Inaction On Chinese Spy Balloon)
The Department of Justice terminated the China Initiative Feb. 23, 2022, following complaints from the Chinese Communist Party, left-wing activists, academics, Democratic politicians and organizations that it was racist. Trump released the video a day after the Department of Defense revealed that it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon over Montana, where Malmstrom Air Force Base, which houses the 341st Missile Wing, is located.
WATCH:
Trump called for the balloon to be shot down in a post on Truth Social.
“I took the most dramatic action of any administration to curtail China’s ability to conduct espionage in the United States,” Trump said. “And when I’m back in the White House, those efforts will be expanded in a very, very big way. Instead of hunting down Republicans, a reformed FBI and Justice Department will be hunting down Chinese spies. We will create new partnerships with businesses and universities to give them the tools to protect themselves from insider threats.”
Trump also noted the presence of Chinese police stations in the United States. One in New York was shut down following a raid by the FBI last fall.
“The FBI even recently admitted that China operates a secret police force on American soil. How do you like that one?” Trump said. “Imposing the iron fist of the Communist Party, the rule, think of this, the Communist Party rule on Chinese nationals in the United States, just think about that. We will shut that down and we will shut it down cold.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.