Former Florida congressman Cliff Stearns once spearheaded Congress's response to the risks that plague the nation's information infrastructure, using his influence to warn Americans about the "increased possibility of a devastating cyberattack." Now, he is among the growing number of former U.S. cyber and national security officials who have worked for a Chinese tech giant widely seen as the leading cybersecurity threat in the world.
Huawei, China's leading provider of 5G infrastructure, claims to be a private company that is independent from the Chinese government. But intelligence officials across the globe believe that the company can serve as a conduit for Chinese espionage, which has prompted American allies such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia to restrict or prohibit the firm from operating within their borders. In the United States, Huawei was indicted in January 2019 and American companies were prohibited from doing business with the firm.
In response, Huawei has launched a two-pronged, multimillion-dollar offensive to assuage the concerns of policymakers and the public, hiring an army of D.C. insiders like Stearns, whose work with Huawei spanned from 2014 to 2018, to convince Congress and the White House to relax sanctions and pouring more than $1 million into advertorials in major outlets, including the New York Times.
Experts say that existing laws prohibit Huawei employees and lobbyists from divulging explicitly classified information to their employers. But Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, warned that companies like Huawei hire former officials explicitly because they offer unparalleled access to stakeholders and information.
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https://freebeacon.com/national-security/inside-huaweis-d-c-influence-campaign/
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