{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://moolenaar.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-former-counterintelligence-official-testifies-ccp-will-use", "ICYMI: Former Counterintelligence Official Testifies CCP Will Use Subsidiary for Espionage", "2023-07-27", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "House", "MI", "John R. Moolenaar", "M001194", "moolenaar.house.gov", "moolenaar", "https://moolenaar.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "In public testimony under oath on Wednesday night, Bill Evanina, the former Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), testified that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses affiliated companies in the United States for espionage. Evanina also testified that the CCP and the People\u2019s Liberation Army of China (PLA) will manipulate America\u2019s work visa program to send people affiliated with the PLA to the United States. Evanina\u2019s testimony came during a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the CCP and the United States.\n\nCongressman John Moolenaar, a member of the Select Committee, questioned Mr. Evanina on the CCP's use of businesspeople, engineers, and workers for espionage efforts, specifically concerning the proposal for CCP-affiliated Gotion, which plans to build a factory in Mecosta County. Gotion has said publicly it plans to bring 20-50 CCP-nationals to help in developing the Mecosta County site.\n\nMoolenaar asked Evanina, \u201cIn your view, is it basically a guarantee that some of the people who come from China to work on this project will spy for the CCP?\"\n\nMr. Evanina responded, \"One hundred percent.\"\n\n\"Director Evanina's expertise in counterintelligence and counterespionage give him a clear understanding of how the CCP operates in the U.S. His testimony was very concerning, and provided a warning to state and local leaders in Michigan on how the CCP could use the Gotion project to spy on the United States. Once CCP nationals receive a work visa to enter the country, they might have the opportunity to travel freely and do other activities in Michigan, like surveilling airports or military installations. Michigan leaders should heed the warning of Director Evanina and stop the Gotion deal,\" said Moolenaar, after the hearing.\n\nVideo of Moolenaar\u2019s questioning is available here.\n\nEvanina lead counterintelligence for the United States as the Director of the NCSC from 2014 to 2021. Prior to his position at the NCSC, he served as the Chief of the CIA Counterespionage Group. His full biography can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://moolenaar.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-former-counterintelligence-official-testifies-ccp-will-use"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6470568478107452, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}