Loretta Lynch, who served as Attorney General under President Obama, is representing DJI, a Chinese drone manufacturer, in a lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DOD). The lawsuit challenges the Pentagon’s designation of DJI as a “Chinese military company,” a classification that restricts its operations in the U.S.
The DOD added DJI to its list of “Chinese military companies” in 2022, asserting that the company is connected to the Chinese military. However, DJI claims it is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military and only sells consumer and commercial drones.
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This lawsuit has drawn criticism from some, including Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who has been a vocal advocate for banning DJI drones in the U.S. Stefanik called Lynch’s involvement “selling out” to China and accused DJI of trying to distract from concerns about its alleged use of Uyghur forced labor and potential national security risks.
DJI maintains that the Pentagon’s designation has caused financial and reputational harm and that the DOD has failed to provide evidence supporting its claims. The company also highlights that the Treasury and Commerce Departments have sanctioned it for providing surveillance drones to the Chinese government, which have been used to spy on Uyghur Muslims.
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This is not the first time Lynch has represented DJI. In 2023, she wrote a letter to the Pentagon urging them to remove DJI from the list of “Chinese military companies.”
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