Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is facing growing scrutiny over his long- standing ties to China as he runs for vice president alongside Kamala Harris. On Monday, the America First Legal Foundation (AFL) launched an investigation into Walz’s decades-long relationship with the communist regime, citing potential national security risks if Walz were to receive classified briefings as part of his campaign.

AFL filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the Minnesota governor’s office, the FBI, and the Justice Department, demanding documents related to Walz’s trips to China and his connections with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In a letter to the FBI, AFL lawyer Michael Ding raised concerns about Walz’s ties to the country, which could compromise U.S. interests. “If there is reason to believe that Gov. Walz is, willingly or unwillingly, an asset of a foreign communist power,” Ding wrote, “then the American people have a right to be informed of all available information before they cast their ballots in November.”

Walz’s frequent visits to China—**at least 30 trips since the 1980s**— and his professional and academic affiliations with Chinese institutions have long raised eyebrows. During his time in Congress, Walz was a fellow at China’s Macao Polytechnic University, an institution that promotes “devotion to and love for the motherland,” which some see as an effort to influence foreign academics.