By Robert Schmad Contributor
High-ranking alumni of some of the most powerful congressional offices in the country have lobbied on behalf of companies controlled or greatly influenced by the Chinese military, disclosures show.
Former congressional staffers with ties to powerful members of Congress, like Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican House Whip Steve Scalise, have worked to influence policy on behalf of Pentagon-designated “Chinese military companies” like DJI, BGI and Huawei. Chinese military companies are those the Department of Defense (DOD) has determined are “directly or indirectly owned, controlled or beneficially owned by” the Chinese military, as well as those that contribute to China’s military-industrial complex.
“If a lobbying firm chooses to represent a Chinese Military Company then they should be barred from representing any companies that contract with the DOD,” New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It is disgraceful that American citizens are working to advance the modernization efforts of Communist Chinese military technology that could one day be used against our service members.”