The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it has dismissed a Foreign Service officer for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a Chinese national who had known ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the officer admitted to concealing the relationship and acknowledged that the woman “could have been a spy,” though no evidence of espionage was provided. The employee also revealed that his partner’s father was “straight-up communist party,” underscoring concerns about potential national security risks.
The dismissal marks the first known action taken under a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump after returning to office, which directs all federal employees to “faithfully implement the president’s policy .Pigott emphasized the administration’s tough stance, saying, “We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any employee who is caught undermining our country’s national security.”
While the Chinese Communist Party plays a pervasive role in many aspects of life in China—including business, education, and governance—ties to the Party are often as much a matter of practicality as ideology.
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