The Biden administration relied upon undergraduate college students to write a sensitive China threat report, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
The State Department was tasked with producing a report to Congress on Beijing’s efforts to conduct censorship and propaganda campaigns within the United States, under the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The State Department produced its final report to Congress in January, revealing that it had been written by six undergraduate students at James Madison University, The Washington Free Beacon reported Wednesday.
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“This report confirms, again, that the Biden administration is simply unserious about confronting the full range of threats posed by the CCP,” Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told the Free Beacon. “No doubt these students are talented, but this report is literally the opposite of adults being back in charge.”
The report written by the university students states that it “does not represent the views of the Executive Branch,” according to the Free Beacon. The State Department confirmed the authenticity of the student’s report and said it had no role in its production or review.
“The Department entered into an agreement with James Madison University to write the independent report through the Diplomacy Lab Project, and the Department did not select the specific authors nor exercise editorial authority over the report,” the State Department told the Beacon in a statement.
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All six students currently study either international affairs or political relations, but only one has an emphasis on Chinese affairs, according to the Free Beacon. However, the State Department was required to “enter into an agreement with a qualified research entity that is independent of the Department of State to write a report on censorship and intimidation in the United States,” according to the NDAA.
The report states that it analyzes “how China’s censorship and intimidation of U.S. citizens domestically, and U.S. businesses in China pose a serious threat to the United States,” according to the Free Beacon. It makes suggestions to Congress on how to assess and deal with these threats.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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