WASHINGTON—The State Department fired a foreign service officer revealed to have had a romantic relationship with a Chinese citizen whose father was said to be looped in with the Chinese Communist Party.
During a hidden-camera encounter with an O’Keefe Media Group reporter, foreign service officer Daniel Choi mentioned the relationship several times, acknowledging that he was supposed to report information about her but did not.
“She could’ve been a spy, even,” Choi said. “I don’t know.”
“Her dad was either a provincial or a federal minister of education,” Choi said at one point regarding the woman he dated. “So he’s, like, straight-up Communist Party.”
“I defied my government, for love,” Choi said.
https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/1953242589743714404
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a Wednesday statement that the White House signed off on Choi’s firing after Secretary of State Marco Rubio initiated the termination process.
“After Presidential review and approval, the State Department has officially terminated the employment of a foreign service officer who admitted to concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” Pigott said.
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“This termination is consistent with the executive order signed by President Trump affirming both his constitutional authority over our foreign policy and the State Department’s responsibility to carry out his directives. Under Secretary Rubio’s leadership, we will maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any employee who is caught undermining our country’s national security,” he continued.
This is presumably the first termination as a result of Executive Order 14211, which says that those responsible for executing U.S. foreign policy are working “under the direction and authority of the president” and says employees could face “professional discipline” for not doing so, the department said on background.
Relations between China and the United States have been a focal point for decades, and most recently, there have been concerns domestically about the CCP’s influence in American institutions, such as universities. Over the summer, a debate unfolded over visas for Chinese students in the United States amid trade talks with China.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to meet in South Korea at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering toward the end of the month, according to CNBC.
The federal government announced in April that U.S. government employees in China cannot be in relationships with Chinese nationals, according to the Associated Press. The rule also applies to certain contractors and families of employees, the outlet added.
China has long been rumored to deploy “honeypot” traps in the United States. California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell infamously came under fire for his relationship with alleged Chinese operative Christine Fang.
In 2023, the House Ethics Committee ultimately did not take further steps following an investigation, The Hill reported at the time.
“The Committee has previously reviewed allegations of improper influence by foreign agents and in doing so, cautioned that Members should be conscious of the possibility that foreign governments may attempt to secure improper influence through gifts and other interactions,” committee Chairman Michael Guest and then-Rep. Susan Wild wrote in a letter to Swalwell. “We encourage you to contact the Office of House Security for any guidance on steps you can take to prevent or address such attempts.”