Biden administration drops program to stop Chicom spies?

 Just the News:

Several Republican senators are challenging Attorney General Merrick Garland for his Justice Department's decision to end a program to thwart Chinese spies and asking how the Biden administration will now combat China's espionage on U.S. soil.

Led by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the lawmakers penned a letter to Garland last week inquiring about the recent termination of the so-called China Initiative, which was launched by the Trump administration in 2018 to preserve America's technological edge. The program was specifically designed to identify and prosecute those engaged in hacking, stealing trade secrets, and conducting economic espionage for the Chinese government inside the U.S.

"On Feb. 23, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it was effectively ending the China Initiative and implementing a new 'Strategy for Countering Nation-State Threats,' which will subsume the China Initiative's work in addition to efforts related to countries such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea," the lawmakers wrote Thursday.

In a speech announcing the termination of the China Initiative, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division said that while China "stands apart" as a "brazen" espionage threat, a "broader approach" is needed to confront threats from a "variety" of countries. Olsen called this effort a "strategy for countering nation-state threats."

Republican senators expressed concern that the new approach is ill-defined and therefore may not be effective at specifically combating nefarious activities conducted by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"In light of the continuing national security threat posed by the CCP, and the lack of clarity surrounding DOJ's new 'Strategy for Countering Nation-State Threats,' we write seeking clarity with respect to the changes in DOJ's approach," the senators wrote. "Specifically, its enforcement efforts to counter espionage and other illicit activities conducted by the CCP."

The lawmakers listed five specific questions they want Garland to answer, including what concrete changes are expected at the Justice Department as it transitions from the China Initiative to its new program.

...

Sometimes the Biden administration appears so adverse to Trump's policies that it gives the impression if Trump had an anti-murder policy Biden would drop it. 

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