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Ron Paul See other Ron Paul Articles Title: ‘She lies to everyone’: Feds say Mar-a-Lago intruder had hidden-camera detector in hotel ‘She lies to everyone’: Feds say Mar-a-Lago intruder had hidden-camera detector in hotel By Jay Weaver, Sarah Blaskey, Caitlin Ostroff and Nicholas Nehamas, Miami Herald 1 hr ago A federal prosecutor argued in court Monday that Yujing Zhang, the Chinese woman arrested trying to enter President Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, “lies to everyone she encounters,” adding that a search of her hotel room uncovered more than $8,000 in cash, as well as a “signal-detector” device used to reveal hidden cameras. Found in the search: $7,500 in U.S. hundred-dollar bills and $663 in Chinese currency, in addition to nine USB drives, five SIM cards and other electronics, according to federal prosecutor Rolando Garcia. Signal detectors are portable devices that can detect radio waves, magnetic fields and hidden-camera equipment. Prosecutors are treating the case as a national-security matter and an FBI counterintelligence squad is investigating, sources familiar with the inquiry told the Miami Herald. Zhang gave conflicting accounts of why she came to Mar-a-Lago on March 30, at one point saying she had been invited to attend a social event, according to an affidavit filed by a U.S. Secret Service agent. But she was found to be carrying several electronic devices, including a thumb-drive containing “malicious malware,” the Secret Service said. That raised suspicions among federal investigators already probing possible Chinese intelligence operations in South Florida that she could be engaged in espionage. “The preliminary analysis of her phones shows she was not there for an event at Mar-a-Lago,” Garcia said during a detention hearing at the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach. © Davidoff Studios/Getty Images View (looking east) towards the pool and spa of the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, February 13, 2017. But Zhang’s federal public defender, Robert Adler, presented evidence that Zhang had in fact paid for a travel package that would include a visit to Mar-a-Lago — a fact that could weaken the government’s allegation that she lied to the Secret Service about the event in order to gain access to the president’s club. The party Zhang said she planned to attend had been promoted online by Li “Cindy” Yang, a South Florida massage-parlor owner who ran a business that promised Chinese clients photos and meetings with Trump. But the “Safari Night” charity gala had been canceled after the Herald first reported on Yang’s access-selling business last month, including a selfie she took with the president. Monday’s hearing was held to determine if Zhang should be released on bond. Federal magistrate judge William Matthewman delayed making a ruling, saying he will decide whether to order Zhang’s continued detention or grant her a bond next Monday, when she will be arraigned. Matthewman said he extended the hearing to give Zhang’s defense team more to time to contact people in China about helping with arrangements if she is released on bond. She is being held in the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s jail. Zhang faces charges of lying to a federal officer and entering restricted property. She was carrying four cellphones, a laptop computer, an external hardrive and the thumb-drive when she was arrested at Mar-a-Lago. The incident has raised new concerns about security at Mar-a-Lago — and whether foreign governments can use the president’s private businesses to gain information. On Monday, CNN reported that Trump was removing the head of the Secret Service, Randolph “Tex” Alles, although a source told the news channel the ouster was not related to the Mar-a-Lago arrest. The Secret Service, which seldom comments on security matters, had issued a statement last week that seemed to lay blame for Zhang’s entry on the staff of the president’s club. On Monday, wearing a short-sleeved, navy-blue detainee uniform, Zhang glanced repeatedly at the crowd of news media that had gathered behind her for the hearing, chewing her bottom lip. Her hands were clenched in fists so tight they began to turn red. She appeared to speak in English with one of the attorneys representing her, although a court-appointed Mandarin interpreter was also present. When the hearing started, she began taking notes on a yellow legal pad. Poster Comment: A Chinese woman in possession of sophisticated spying tools is a concern for everyone. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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