Comer Subpoenas DHS After Whistleblower Reveals Information on Governor Walz’s Ties to the CCP

WASHINGTON—Today, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for intelligence reports, documents, and communications in its possession related to Governor Timothy Walz’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). According to recently received whistleblower disclosures, the Committee has learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees and additional intelligence reports that contain information regarding Governor Walz’s connections to the CCP.

“The Committee has recently received whistleblower disclosures informing the Committee of serious concern among Department of Homeland personnel regarding a longstanding connection between the CCP and Minnesota Governor Timothy James Walz,” wrote Chairman James Comer. “Specifically, through whistleblower disclosures, the Committee has learned of a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees—titled ‘NST NFT Bi-Weekly Sync’—that contains information about Governor Walz that is relevant to the Committee’s investigation. The Committee has also learned that further relevant information regarding Governor Walz has been memorialized in both classified and unclassified documents in the control of DHS.”

The Oversight Committee has been conducting a government-wide investigation of how federal agencies are addressing the CCP’s infiltration and influence campaign to weaken and corrupt the United States. During briefings held with over twenty federal agencies, the Committee has learned of the CCP’s efforts to influence subnational government leaders, including state governors. In August, Chairman Comer launched an investigation into Governor Walz following reports detailing the Governor’s longstanding connections to CCP entities and officials.

“The Committee’s investigation of the CCP—begun long before Governor Walz was elevated to be the vice-presidential candidate for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris—seeks to understand the extent of the CCP’s infiltration and influence campaign and to identify legislative reforms to combat CCP political warfare targeting prominent Americans for elite capture. If a state governor and major political party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States has been a witting or unwitting participant in the CCP’s efforts to weaken our nation, this would strongly suggest that there are alarming weaknesses in the federal government’s effort to defend the United States from the CCP’s political warfare that must be urgently addressed. The information required of DHS by the Committee’s subpoena will inform the Committee’s understanding of how successful the CCP has been in waging political warfare in and against the United States, how effectively federal agencies are addressing the communist regime’s campaign, and what reforms are necessary to counter this threat,” concluded Chairman James Comer.

Chairman Comer’s subpoena requires DHS to produce the following records in unredacted form that are in the possession, custody, or control of DHS—or any office thereof including, but not limited to, DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis:

• All documents and communications in the Microsoft Teams group chat “NST NFT Bi-Weekly Sync” from July 1, 2024, to present, including all accompanying, uploaded, or imbedded attachments and documents, referring or relating to Minnesota Governor Timothy J. Walz (or the office and/or staff of Governor Walz); and
• All Intelligence Information Reports and Regional Intelligence Notes (including these documents that have been titled or categorized differently) from November 2023 to present related to Minnesota Governor Timothy J. Walz (or the office and/or staff of Governor Walz).

The cover letter can be found here and the subpoena can be found here.