Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security were summoned by the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence regarding the national security threats posed by China.
The proceeding was called for in relation to the Chinese balloon incident from January 28th to February 4th.
Committee member Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called the incident an "absolute horror."
"The Biden administration did absolutely nothing, and Americans were so upset," she said. "The outrage was unbelievable... It's unspeakable that this actually happened."
China Initiative
The Georgia congresswoman also highlighted the 2018 China Initiative of the Department of Justice to "combat" what she thought was the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) "relentless campaign" to steal US intelligence, technology, and cutting-edge research.
She added that China was steadily replacing the US as the most powerful nation in the world in terms of economic gains and military strength.
Durham Report
She went on to express her disappointment towards FBI Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Jill Murphy for being unaware of the contents of the report created by Justice Department special counsel John Durham.
The Durham Report highlighted the FBI making the mistake of launching a probe investigating Russia's intervention in former US President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign.
In response, Murphy said while China's encroachment on US interests was concerning, the China Initiative was "misperceived" by the Chinese American community as a program targeted against Chinese people. She thought the China Initiative was created "to protect academic institutions and researchers from the Chinese communist government."
Chinese spy balloon
Regarding the Chinese balloon, Homeland Security cybersecurity official Iranga Kahangama said the ability of the balloon to conduct surveillance for the Chinese government was "a threat to our country."
Homeland Security intelligence and analysis acting director Tyrone Durham said the balloon was just "one more tool" in the CCP's "toolbox" to intimidate its rivals.
"They use everything at their disposal," he said.
Greene also went on to criticize the family of US President Joe Biden for "receiving payments" from CCP-linked foreign nationals "in exchange for power and influence," which could strategically sabotage the White House, to which none of the three respondents commented.
