RALEIGH — In July, North Carolina Republican Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis issued questions to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding reports of Chinese Communist Party “intelligence service centers” operating in U.S. cities — including one in Charlotte.
The letter to Garland describes warnings from the U.S. Department of Justice that the Ministry of Public Security “conducts covert ‘intelligence and national security operations far beyond China’s borders,’ including ‘illicit, transnational repression schemes’ on U.S. soil.”
“Further, the ongoing discovery of additional OCSCs raises the question of whether DOJ’s response sufficiently addresses the threat, particularly because OCSCs have openly operated for several years and their activities have been reportedly documented in Chinese state media and social media posts,” the letter states.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, the state’s chief law enforcement officer, has also been silent on the matter.
In the months following the Budd/Tillis letter, North State Journal made three attempts to contact Stein for comment on the issue but received no acknowledgment or reply.
Stein, a Democrat, announced his 2024 gubernatorial bid earlier this year.
