Democrats in Congress are compromised by Chinese embeds, specifically those tied to intelligence committees like Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., according to former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell on Newsmax TV.
"They have infiltrated academia as well as politics, and something needs to be done," Grenell told Thursday's "Stinchfield," making a call for both the House and Senate Intelligence committees to be investigated for China espionage in classified settings.
"This is extremely deep. This is not the only case. I can assure you, there are many members of Congress and Democrat governors and local officials who have been targeted by the Chinese and the Chinese have pushed leverage."
The massive foreign espionage campaign influence "has picked up" amid the global coronavirus pandemic, Grenell added to host Grant Stinchfield.
"The Chinese have seen their reputation completely tank because of what the intelligence community made clear that COVID-19 started in China.
"So, we have a crisis on our hands."
President Donald Trump's current DNI John Ratcliffe has warned Congress about the massive Chinese meddling efforts after Democrats have pushed the Russian collusion narrative to attempt to discredit the president.
"First of all, I can assure you, I know for a fact, many have been targeted and have gotten defensive briefings," Grenell said. "Now, we should explain what a defensive briefing is.
"When the intelligence community knows and feels like a politician, or any individual in America, is being targeted and leveraged by a foreign government, then we step in and we brief them on what we know, because they don't always know what's happening."
Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to Grenell, is "blurring" and "missing the point," after dismissing the narrative in a news conference Thursday.
"Chinese officials who are used to target U.S. politicians and U.S. personnel are some of the most sophisticated Chinese spies that they have," Grenell said. "They have to be able to speak English, they have to be able to know the ways of the United States, but they also have to be very deep into the Chinese communist culture and politics.
"So they are utilized at the top level."
Grenell, who spent eight years at the United Nations and was Trump's ambassador to Germany, added Chinese spies are embedded all over the world, too.
"They're very good, and we have to be better," Grenell concluded. "Our U.S. intelligence agencies have to always be one step ahead of all of the other foreign governments that are targeting our people."
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Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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