Former Senior Staffers From Top Congressional Offices Lobbied For Chinese Military Companies
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.”
Lobbyists will often leverage relationships they developed while working on Capitol Hill, including with members of Congress, to advance the interests of their clients. A 2012 study conducted by a trio of economists found that lobbyists who had previously worked in the Senate saw an immediate 24% drop in generated revenue after their former boss left office, indicating that lobbyists can sell access to their former bosses.
Nick Sutter, for instance, spent seven years working for Democratic Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell between 2011 and 2018, plus an additional nine months in Schumer’s office. Now, Sutter is an associate at Steptoe LLP, a large corporate influence shop in D.C., and lobbied on behalf of the Chinese military company BGI Group in 2023, disclosures show. Cantwell serves as the chairwoman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee.
BGI has worked with the Chinese military on research ranging from neuroscience to respiratory disease and U.S. intelligence officials believe the company could enable the Chinese government to collect genetic information on people across the globe, Reuters reported. Sutter lobbied for BGI on a bill recently passed by a bipartisan majority in the House that blacklists the genomics company over concerns it may share information about Americans with China, according to disclosures.
Sutter did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Many prominent lobbying firms in D.C. have cut ties with companies linked to China’s government and armed forces as lawmakers place increased scrutiny on Chinese influence.
“Granting lobbyists for Chinese military companies access to our highest offices jeopardizes American interests and compromises our legislative integrity,” Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told the DCNF. “Allowing these lobbyists to shape policy puts our nation at risk.”
Keith Castaldo, meanwhile, served in the office of New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for roughly eight and a half years, leaving her staff after reaching the position of general counsel. Now, Castaldo is a senior vice president at Avoq, another large lobbying outfit, where disclosures show he worked as a lobbyist for DJI, a Chinese military company specializing in drones, as recently as this year, disclosures show.
The Treasury and Commerce Departments have sanctioned DJI for providing drones to the Chinese government to use in its domestic surveillance operations and independent researchers have found that the app used to control DJI’s drones collects large quantities of personal data that the Chinese government could potentially access, according to The New York Times. Castaldo, alongside a coalition of other lobbyists and activists, was paid by DJI to fight the Countering CCP Drones Act, legislation recently approved by the House that would effectively ban the use of DJI drones in American airspace.
Castaldo could not be reached for comment.
https://dailycaller.com/2024/10/19/former-senior-staffers-top-congressional-offices-lobbied-chinese-military-companies/