'Be aware': House lawmakers describe what it's like living under threat by China, Iran
Being a federal official in any country would naturally open oneself up to the possibility of foreign threats. Threats against heads of state generally get the most attention, but even being a member of Congress has its risks – for some more than others.
"The FBI came in and gave me a defensive briefing, and told me that there were just a couple members that were going to be targets in a disinformation campaign," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "And, you know, to sort of be aware of it."
That threat was specifically coming from China, which had been watching McCaul since he was a federal prosecutor in 1997, according to the Texas Republican. China sanctioned him in 2023 after his first visit to Taiwan during the 118th Congress.
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The New York Times reported last month that several lawmakers, including McCaul, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., were targeted by a disinformation campaign over their anti-China policies.
"I think every one of us, certainly on the China committee, is aware of the fact that China knows exactly who we are. And they don't like the committee," Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a member of the House select committee on countering the Chinese Communist Party, told Fox News Digital. "It’s something that's an example of something that we have to be careful of."
Asked what it was like living with the day-to-day knowledge that a hostile foreign power was trying to surveil him and his colleagues, Moulton said, "I’m a Marine. Feels fine."
Other senior lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital, like Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., acknowledged they have faced foreign threats but declined to go into detail.
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But it’s not just China that’s targeting U.S. lawmakers – McCaul also recounted overt surveillance efforts from Russia during past congressional delegations. And he also mentioned another FBI defensive briefing he received, this time about threats from Iran.
"The FBI brought me in, in a classified space, and they said, ‘We just want to let you know that you're now under indictment in Iran… we want to let you know for your own self-awareness,’" McCaul said.
The reason, McCaul said he was told, was because he had been one of the people who advised then-President Trump to move forward with his successful operation to kill top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
"It’s interesting because, you know, the discussion at that time was, ‘My God, we killed Soleimani. Just think of the blowback and the backlash.’ And it was kind of radio silence from Iran. They were just stunned," he said.
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McCaul said living under threat from multiple foreign governments was "a little unsettling," adding, "You’ve gotta have a little more self-awareness" in his situation.
He also did not expect those threats to let up despite his tenure as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee ending, nor did he expect his diplomatic work to stop.
"I think if anything, you know, as I step down… I see a greater role in being a bit of an emissary, you know, just kind of going back and forth with the administration," McCaul said.