Just hours until the vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance, each candidate’s campaign unleashed a steady stream of attacks against their opponents, including one about Kamala Harris‘ running mate’s supposed connection to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The CBS debate on Tuesday night with the vice presidential candidates is the last event both campaigns have agreed to before polling day in November.
Over the past few days, Walz has become the subject of a House Oversight Committee subpoena, trying to establish any links between him and Chinese officials, something which Vance and Donald Trump supporters have run with.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on September 5, 2024, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have launched an investigation into their suspicions of a connection between Walz and the Chinese government.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace, posted on September 30, 2024, quoted a release of the Oversight Committee investigation of Walz, commenting, “Why are there so many left-wing lawmakers affiliated to the CCP?”
Another post by conservative political consultant Alex Bruesewitz said: “Tim Walz is now likely lying about lying! A lot of information has come out regarding Walz’s close ties to the CCP, he is now trying to downplay it…”
Conservative commentators The Hodgetwins also posted: “JD Vance better go after Tim Walz hard on the CCP stuff.
“Walz gonna have a panic attack.”
Columnist Miranda Devine wrote: “Tim Walz is to Harris what Joe Biden was to [Barack] Obama, the CCP’s made man.”
The Facts
The key issue here is how little information surrounds committee chairman James Comer’s investigation, with no specific allegations about Walz. The certainty about the allegations, at this stage, seems misplaced.
Kentucky Republican Comer subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday, writing that whistleblower disclosures raised “serious concern….regarding a long-standing connection between the CCP and Minnesota Governor Timothy James Walz.”
The committee said it learned of “a non-classified, Microsoft Teams group chat among DHS employees” that reportedly contained allegations about Walz’s links to Chinese officials. Comer said his team has now subpoenaed the DHS for that alleged conversation, as well as looking into any additional reports the DHS may have about Walz with regard to China.
An accompanying statement to the subpoena said it was part of an ongoing effort to identify instances of the CCP trying to infiltrate the U.S. and influence policy.
Apart from this, there is little to no other information. Walz’s spokespeople have accused Republicans of “twisting basic facts and desperately lying.”
Walz has taught in China; visiting the country around 30 times and honeymooning there with his wife Gwen. However, he has also been critical of the Chinese government’s human rights record. Comer and accompanying subpoena media releases have been vague about what connection they suspect Walz may have.
Carolyn Bartholomew, the former chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which stands against human rights abuses in China, was quoted in the Financial Times saying of Walz: “From his meeting the Dalai Lama to his leadership on Hong Kong, Walz’s actions indicate that he has not been sucked in by any [Chinese] propaganda.”
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Walz and Harris via email for comment.
Comer has led other investigations into allegations of foreign interference in government, most notably his impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden‘s alleged involvement in his son Hunter Biden‘s foreign business dealings.
There has been no sufficient evidence presented against Biden and Comer faced calls to be investigated earlier this year when a witness in the probe was charged with lying to the FBI.
The Ruling
Unverified.
The claims alleging Walz’s affiliation or relationship with the Chinese government are based on a House Oversight investigation which has not revealed much at this stage.
Media releases attached to the committee’s investigation do not mention what specific connections they believe Walz has. The governor’s representatives have accused Republicans of “desperately lying.”
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek‘s Fact Check team
