Reps Call for Review Into Alleged FBI ‘Misconduct’ Against Chinese Scientist Accused of Spying – By Brandi Vincent (Nextgov) / June 22 2021
They asked the Inspector General to launch a new investigation.
Three Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee requested a comprehensive look into the FBI’s actions against a former University of Tennessee at Knoxville professor charged with concealing his ties to China after the litigation resulted in a mistrial.
Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called for a fresh investigation via a letter to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz. In it, the lawmakers also questioned whether the China Initiative—a Trump-era effort to counter economic espionage attempts executed by the People’s Republic of China—pushes federal agents to engage in racial profiling.
“[W]e are deeply troubled by the alleged misconduct of the [FBI] in the unsuccessful prosecution of [UTK] associate professor Anming Hu,” the lawmakers wrote. “The FBI allegedly falsely accused Professor Hu of being a Chinese spy; falsely implicated Professor Hu as an operative for the Chinese military; and used false information to put Professor Hu on the federal no-fly list—among a number of other actions.”
