Under the Radar: America First Congressman Plans on Introducing Legislation to Prevent China from Placing Spies in Congressional Offices

  |  
Dec 20, 2020

Lance Gooden has quietly become one of the more unheralded America First representatives in the U.S. House. 

Ever since California Congressman Eric Swalwell was compromised by Christine Fang, an alleged spy for the Chinese Communist Party. Swalwell has refused to confirm or deny whether he had sexual relations with Christine Fang. 

Ex-CIA officer Daniel Hoffer claims that China could have thousands of “honey trap” spies getting literally in bed with Americans to extract secrets and relaying them to the Chinese government. Many of these so-called “honey trap” spies have attended premier universities and are fluent in English.

Fang was living stateside from 2011 to 2015 and attended California State University, East Bay where she became president of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) and the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA). Fang fundraised for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign and helped an individual get hired on to be an intern at Swalwell’s D.C. office.

According to Axios, Swalwell was one of the most significant targets of Fang’s attempts to exert political influence on American elected officials. 

While the chattering classes were debating the implications of China’s espionage activity, Gooden was quick to tackle this problem by urging Congress to prohibit Chinese nationals from serving as Congressional interns. 

Gooden tweeted on December 10,2020, “Background checks are required to: Get a job Receive a passport Enlist in the military Background checks are NOT required to: Intern on Capitol Hill Eric Swalwell’s spy scandal underscores the URGENT need for a ban on enemy foreign nationals as congressional interns!”

China is serious and they are using unconventional tactics to spread their influence. This is in line with their strategy since the country opened up its economy and used its economic growth to strengthen its state and start projecting power abroad.

Gooden has called out neoconservatives for their endless wars and misplaced foreign policy priorities, while ignoring the rise of China — a country that will likely be a U.S. peer competitor in a not too distant future. 

BLP previously reported on Gooden’s staunch America First positions on foreign policy, which question neoconservative conventional wisdom on endless interventionism.

Gooden acknowledges that China is a growing problem and must be addressed accordingly. Immigration restriction, tariffs, restrictions on foreign investment, and using strategic partners in East Asia to check China are all ways to keep China on its toes without having to fire a bullet.

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