After the State Department discovered that he was romantically involved with a Chinese woman who was allegedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party, a U.S. diplomat was terminated on Wednesday, Fox News has learned.
According to a statement from State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, President Donald Trump examined the situation and gave his approval for the diplomat’s dismissal. He stated that the diplomat “admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Pigott added, “Under Secretary Rubio’s leadership, we will maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any employee who is caught undermining our country’s national security.”
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Although the diplomat’s identity was not formally disclosed, Fox News has discovered that he was featured in a video created by Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe. O’Keefe was removed from Project Veritas in 2023 and now uses the O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) to run comparable hidden camera operations.
The person thought to be the diplomat in question declares to an undercover journalist with OMG in the video that he “defied my government for love.” He also stated in the video that “she could have been a spy” and that her father was “straight up Communist Party.”
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A Chinese government spokesperson in Beijing declined to comment on what he referred to as a U.S. domestic matter.
The Foreign Ministry’s Guo Jiakun stated at a daily briefing, according to The Associated Press, “But I would like to stress that we oppose drawing lines based on ideological difference and maliciously smearing China.”
According to the AP, the U.S. government took action in January, just before the Biden administration came to a conclusion, to forbid American government employees in China from engaging in sexual or romantic interactions with Chinese citizens. Contractors with security clearances and family members of American government personnel were also subject to this prohibition.
The Trump administration stepped up its monitoring of Chinese nationals attending U.S. universities in May, following claims that several students were participating in covert activities, including espionage.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared at the time that the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security intended to “aggressively revoke” the student visas of Chinese nationals, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party.”
However, conservatives questioned why the administration was taking this action when the president’s attempt to welcome 600,000 Chinese students in late August met with criticism. Trump stated that he thought it was crucial for Chinese students to be present in the United States, but that the nation needed to exercise caution and keep tabs on who was entering.
Fox News Digital contacted representatives of the Chinese government for comment.
This report was made possible by contributions from Fox News’ Nicholas Kalman, Fox News Digital’s Digital’s Ashley Oliver and Cameron Arcand, and The Associated Press.
