China’s “Fellow Travelers” – in Congress?

The question is worth asking. No member of the current Progressive Caucus in Congress is old enough to remember, but in the 1940s a group of Americans – including politicians – were known as “Fellow Travelers.” This eclectic group “travelled the path” of Soviet Communism, although not “card carrying members.” Alert: Communist China may have “Fellow Travelers.”  

If you think this description of the 23 House Democrats who slammed formation of the otherwise bipartisan “Select Committee on China” is wrong, just look closer. The 23 left-leaning Democrats want no light between the US Congress and Communist China, and said so.

In a bold language, historically reminiscent of Soviet sympathizers, they declared themselves offended that any of Communist China’ s activities in the US should be investigated. Really?

This is doubly ironic, as we watch evidence pile up of Biden family ties to dirty Chinese money, directly and via an American University, also linking him to classified documents left where Chinese contributors could gain access, and all against the backdrop his son’s China profits.

Never mind. The statement itself should send up red flags, and perhaps more –signal a need to change the way Congress does business, who has access to what. The 23 “progressives” say they were deeply offended that Communist China would be scrutinized.

They say – despite wide bipartisan support for the “Select Committee on China” – that they are “Concerned about the direction of this committee given past statements and actions by Republicans,” including “Reckless and prejudiced rhetoric and policy” guidance that sowed doubt about Communist China’s actions. Really?

Worse, they concluded that this committee might trigger “a rise in anti-Asian sentiment across the country and…hate crimes.” Going further, as they dug for reasons to oppose the committee, these “Fellow Travelers” say we should not worry about “winning a ‘new Cold War’…” with Communist China.

The level of transparent sympathy that these 23 members have with the Communist Chinese, as well as the hostility to honest and open scrutiny of Communist China’s activities inside America – at hundreds of universities, federal labs, setting up secret Chinese “police stations” to intimidate their own citizens in the US, stealing intellectual property, conducting massive hacks (such as at OPM – Office of Personal Management, which compromised hundreds of thousands of US citizens with security clearances), and political contributions to Democrats since 1996 – gives one profound pause.

Why would ANY member of the US Congress OPPOSE a bipartisan process of holding China accountable – for government and industrial espionage, infiltration, theft, information warfare, surveillance, intimidation of Americans abroad, China citizens in the US, and US allies like Taiwan?

Why would ANY member of the US Congress OPPOSE an evaluation of the role that Communist Chinese money is having in US education, industry, high tech, social media, Tik-Tok programming, psychological warfare, the semiconductor chip industry, insertion of surveillance into hardware and consumer durables, transshipping fentanyl and precursor chemicals for its manufacture to the US and to Mexico – and from there to the US actions, or any of the other actions China is taking?

Why would ANY member of the US Congress OPPOSE evaluation of China’s action and intent in creating artificial islands in the South China Sea, flying dozens of planes daily into Taiwan’s air space, colluding openly with Putin’s Russia, Iran, and North Korea, including helping those nations skirt Western sanctions?

Why would ANY member of the US Congress OPPOSE examining why China has begun leasing ports in this hemisphere for harboring military warships, intimidating nations into usurious loans, compelling the same group to disavow Taiwan, laying in 1000 ICBMs, and testing space weapons?

And why would ANY member of Congress OPPOSE a genuinely bipartisan investigation by Congress into the role Chinese money has played in shaping Biden Administration policies, or worse – how China has attempted to buy the Biden family, and buy American politicians at all levels?

Why would these 23 Democrats oppose a closer examination of where Chinese dark money goes, where Democrat dark money comes from, how campaigns by specific members of Congress might have been financed and infected with that money, and – who is buying Hunter Biden’s art for millions of dollars, underwriting Biden institutes that…have classified documents left in closets?

I will not attempt to answer these questions, just note that they are poignant, timely, profoundly concerning – to both Republicans and to centrist Democrats – and do deserve answering.

The 23 members who opposed formation of the “Select Committee” on Communist China are Democrats: Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Troy Carter (LA-02), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-27), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04) Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Grace Meng (NY-06),  Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Mark Takano (CA-39), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).

In truth, why ANY member of Congress would feel the need to defend Communist China against a bipartisan inquiry into their motives, actions, and impact those actions are having on America, Americans, and integrity of our government…is a mystery. 

Perhaps the answer lies in history. Perhaps it lies in what the Russians – actually, Bolsheviks, whom Mao studied closely to advance Communism in China – called “Poputchik.” The “Poputchik” were “Fellow Travelers” – especially in the United States – who helped Communism spread.

The unanswered question, which might suggest pulling access to classified materials for some members of Congress, is this: Do we now have new “Fellow Travelers” in Congress? 

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.