Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), along with seven other Republican senators, sent a letter addressed to Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen and FBI Director Christopher Wray “to express deep concern with mounting allegations of Chinese surveillance that is occurring within the United States homeland.”
The letter comes after tensions between the U.S. and China have ratcheted up in recent months. In February, the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — after it spent days traversing the country. And in April, the DOJ alleged that agents of the Chinese government had been “operating an illegal overseas police station” in Manhattan with the intention to “export repression and subvert our rule of law.”
China is attempting “push their way to global dominance,” Blackburn tells Forbes Newsroom. In recent weeks, two GOP presidential contenders, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Congressman Will Hurd both told Forbes that they believe the U.S. is currently “in a cold war with China.” The Tennessee Republican stopped short of agreeing with that sentiment. Blackburn said she believes the Asian nation “is pushing the envelope every single day,” before arguing that the U.S. needs “an administration that is going to be tough with China.”
For the full conversation, click on the video above.
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