Gooden Blasts Director Burns’ Failure to Identify Chinese Influence

On Monday, I sent a letter to CIA Director William Burns requesting clarification on recent reports that he permitted Chinese Communist Party members to work on national security research, including information related to nuclear weapons policy, while president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
 
Director Burns is wholly incompetent or perjured himself before the United States Senate. The American people deserve to know if the director of the nation’s top intelligence firm failed to recognize or aided communist China’s efforts to influence U.S. policy decision and undermine our national security.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Director Burns disputed that any CCP members were employed by Carnegie during his tenure as president. The Daily Caller’s investigation has confirmed this was false and that Chinese influence at Carnegie continued and intensified while he led the organization.
 
I previously introduced legislation, the Think Tank and Nonprofit Disclosure Act, to require tax-exempt U.S. nonprofits to disclose their donors. This legislation would prevent malign foreign influence from the United States’ top allies, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The recent revelations surrounding the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has underlined the need for this legislation and transparency in the U.S. nonprofit sector.
 
You can read the full text of the letter here.