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Secret Service Buys Chinese Drones Flagged as CCP Spy Tools
Posted on 9/24/21 at 1:51 pm
Posted on 9/24/21 at 1:51 pm
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/gop-lawmaker-probes-secret-service-purchase-of-chinese-drones/
GOP Lawmaker Probes Secret Service Purchase of Chinese Drones
A Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee is pressing the Justice Department to explain why it allowed the Secret Service to purchase several Chinese-made surveillance drones that he says the Communist regime could use to spy on the U.S. president and his closest associates.
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) in a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanded answers on why the Secret Service purchased eight surveillance drones made by Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI), a China-based company that the U.S. intelligence community has flagged as a Communist spy risk. The use of DJI drones has been barred by the Defense Department, the Army, and the Department of Homeland Security over concerns that the Chinese drones surreptitiously collect data and send it back to the Chinese Communist government.
"As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee who has been briefed on the cyber security threat that these Chinese-made drones pose, I am very concerned that these drones will be used by malevolent actors within the Chinese Communist Party to spy on individuals the Secret Service is charged with protecting," Banks wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. "These individuals include President Joe Biden and his immediate family, Vice President Kamala Harris and her immediate family, former presidents Donald Trump, Barrack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and their spouses, and other visiting heads of foreign states."
Banks's letter is the latest in the lawmaker's long-running effort to stop the federal government using DJI drones, which have been the subject of controversy since at least 2017, when the Army grounded its fleet of DJI-made drones, citing security concerns. The Department of Homeland Security followed suit soon after, when it discovered that DJI drones were "providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government."
Banks in July 2020 petitioned former attorney general Bill Barr to ban the use of DJI drones. The Justice Department that October issued an internal memo that bans the purchase of DJI drones.
But the FBI, which is under the Justice Department's jurisdiction, in July 2021 spent more than $72,000 on 27 DJI drones, eight of which will be used by the Secret Service.
The purchase prompted a probe by Banks, who is demanding that the Justice Department explain how and why it bought a new stock of DJI-made drones.
The lawmaker wants to know if the department has reversed its ban on DJI drones, and, if so, "how do you justify that decision considering the Department of Defense's July 23, 2021, statement claiming DJI products ‘pose potential threats to nationals,'" according to the letter.
Banks is also requesting information on how the Secret Service will use the DJI drones and if the drones will "monitor the activities and conversations of those in the Secret Service's protection."
GOP Lawmaker Probes Secret Service Purchase of Chinese Drones
A Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee is pressing the Justice Department to explain why it allowed the Secret Service to purchase several Chinese-made surveillance drones that he says the Communist regime could use to spy on the U.S. president and his closest associates.
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) in a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanded answers on why the Secret Service purchased eight surveillance drones made by Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI), a China-based company that the U.S. intelligence community has flagged as a Communist spy risk. The use of DJI drones has been barred by the Defense Department, the Army, and the Department of Homeland Security over concerns that the Chinese drones surreptitiously collect data and send it back to the Chinese Communist government.
"As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee who has been briefed on the cyber security threat that these Chinese-made drones pose, I am very concerned that these drones will be used by malevolent actors within the Chinese Communist Party to spy on individuals the Secret Service is charged with protecting," Banks wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. "These individuals include President Joe Biden and his immediate family, Vice President Kamala Harris and her immediate family, former presidents Donald Trump, Barrack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and their spouses, and other visiting heads of foreign states."
Banks's letter is the latest in the lawmaker's long-running effort to stop the federal government using DJI drones, which have been the subject of controversy since at least 2017, when the Army grounded its fleet of DJI-made drones, citing security concerns. The Department of Homeland Security followed suit soon after, when it discovered that DJI drones were "providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government."
Banks in July 2020 petitioned former attorney general Bill Barr to ban the use of DJI drones. The Justice Department that October issued an internal memo that bans the purchase of DJI drones.
But the FBI, which is under the Justice Department's jurisdiction, in July 2021 spent more than $72,000 on 27 DJI drones, eight of which will be used by the Secret Service.
The purchase prompted a probe by Banks, who is demanding that the Justice Department explain how and why it bought a new stock of DJI-made drones.
The lawmaker wants to know if the department has reversed its ban on DJI drones, and, if so, "how do you justify that decision considering the Department of Defense's July 23, 2021, statement claiming DJI products ‘pose potential threats to nationals,'" according to the letter.
Banks is also requesting information on how the Secret Service will use the DJI drones and if the drones will "monitor the activities and conversations of those in the Secret Service's protection."
Posted on 9/24/21 at 1:54 pm to Jack Carter
I have a DJI mavic air II.
Love it
Love it
Posted on 9/24/21 at 2:03 pm to Jack Carter
Family member does insurance adjustment for a living and had a claim at a guys house who claimed to have the original patent for what would be DJI drones, which he sold to the US Govt. Mind you this is a big arse house in a good area of Houston, and he had a drone workshop. He said the US Govt then sold the patent to the Chinese Govt, when he sold it specifically for military use against foreign entities. He was pissed but couldn't do anything about it.
Posted on 9/24/21 at 2:12 pm to memphisplaya
Have a DJI mini. It’s not like China doesn’t have satellites or even spy’s in our country watching us lol.
Posted on 9/24/21 at 3:17 pm to momentoftruth87
quote:
It’s not like China doesn’t have satellites or even spy’s in our country watching us lol.
True, but imagine having the US government telling them where to look based on the drone's GPS info.
Posted on 9/24/21 at 3:36 pm to momentoftruth87
quote:
Have a DJI mini. It’s not like China doesn’t have satellites or even spy’s in our country watching us lol.
Or politicians or journalists.
Posted on 9/24/21 at 3:56 pm to Jack Carter
The CCP already knows Biden's whereabouts from the chip they have planted in him. Biden also has a camera and listening devices installed in any lapel pins he wears.
Posted on 9/24/21 at 4:36 pm to AllDayEveryDay
quote:
guys house who claimed to have the original patent for what would be DJI drones, which he sold to the US Govt.
I'm not doubting he told your family member that, but it's right up there with a 100 mpg carburetor.
A lot of the competition may have caught up by now, but a few years ago DJI was so far ahead of everybody else it was pretty obvious that they had government funding. There's been R&D work by the DoD to reverse engineer some of their stuff, but you can't even fire one up without taping over the camera in one particular facility. Hopefully in all of them.
Posted on 9/24/21 at 6:29 pm to AllDayEveryDay
quote:
Family member does insurance adjustment for a living and had a claim at a guys house who claimed to have the original patent for what would be DJI drones, which he sold to the US Govt. Mind you this is a big arse house in a good area of Houston, and he had a drone workshop. He said the US Govt then sold the patent to the Chinese Govt, when he sold it specifically for military use against foreign entities. He was pissed but couldn't do anything about it.
I wonder what Admin this wound have been under
Posted on 9/24/21 at 6:30 pm to memphisplaya
quote:
I have a DJI mavic air II.
You work for the secret service?
Posted on 9/24/21 at 7:18 pm to imjustafatkid
quote:
You work for the secret service?
No comment.
Funny story, I had it down in Destin a few months ago and was at the condo on one of the harbor inlets. Well I flew it over to the beach/harbor entrance to see if there were white caps out and if so how rough. I wanted to drop deep to spear lionfish and depending on how rough it was going out would dictate the day. Plan was to go out about 30 miles to some sunken chicken coops i've found diving/side sonar in the past.
Well I'm over the beach at about 350 ft in the air. Keep in mind there is a 400ft limit and that the entire area is a fly space for the Englin AF base.
Next thing i know the drone just starts climbing straight up and i have 0 control and it says I'm losing signal. It hits 750 before I can start getting back control and start rapidly descending in sport mode.
I get it back to the condo manually with just 17% battery, but I fully expected someone to have reported it in the airspace.
This post was edited on 9/24/21 at 7:22 pm
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