An FBI agent deep into a sensitive investigation connecting a Chinese data centre, a US cloud firm, and the Department of War received a baffling email. He was being taken off the case immediately.
According to an exclusive account given to the Daily Mail, the agent, who worked on the FBI's DC China Counter Intelligence Program, was suddenly reassigned. Instead of pursuing a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operation, he was ordered onto a 'security support rotation' to walk the beat with police in Washington DC.
'No explanation, nothing about who would take over my case files. Is this for a day or for weeks? It ended up being weeks,' the frustrated agent revealed.
Strategic Reassignment or Political Interference?
The agent said the reassignment was justified under the guise of focusing on 'homeland threats.' However, he and colleagues failed to see how aiding routine police operations in DC helped prevent sophisticated attacks originating from China.
This agent was not alone. Sources indicate that earlier this year, at least a few dozen other FBI agents were pulled from their investigations involving the CCP. This move coincided with President Donald Trump's decision to prioritise tackling street crime in the capital over weeding out spies operating on US soil for Beijing.
Two FBI agents confirmed the reassignments occurred but declined to speak publicly. The sentiment among government staff investigating China is that the Trump administration is deliberately 'slow-rolling' its promised crackdown on the CCP. They allege the president desires to maintain a positive relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Growing Frustration in Security Circles
Multiple insiders describe mounting frustration on Capitol Hill and within federal agencies over what they see as Trump's accommodating stance towards President Xi. The consensus is that the administration is intentionally impeding progress on addressing Chinese espionage.
'What I'm hearing is that the administration doesn't want to rock the boat with China,' stated national security policy adviser LJ Eads. 'Trump wants to get closer with our enemies and change who our enemies are… change that landscape to befriend those adversaries.'
A source familiar with the House Select Committee on the CCP speculated that several Trump allies, who hope to do significant business with China, are influencing the president to keep relations friendly. They specifically named Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a millionaire with over two decades in hedge funds, who divested from groups with Chinese market holdings upon his nomination in late 2024.
The reassignments had a tangible impact. Agents were shifted from probing serious cyber and surveillance crimes, including espionage at universities, to what one source described as having to 'walk streets and make sure homeless people don't get in fights.'
'It does something to morale,' the source added, noting that federal agents are now actively seeking jobs elsewhere where they can actually investigate espionage, often in the field of artificial intelligence.
Administration Pushback and NSC Turmoil
A White House official pushed back on criticism, telling the Daily Mail, 'I don't think anyone believes we haven't been adequately tough on China, especially if you look at trade policy.'
However, critics argue criminal investigations represent a different threat level entirely. LJ Eads, who advises multiple agencies, claims current Justice Department probes into Chinese crimes are minor, likening them to 'dental office X-ray fraud,' and do little to deter CCP espionage.
A Justice Department spokesperson called these claims 'flat-wrong,' asserting critics hadn't reviewed the cases and were advancing an agenda. The DOJ provided links to two dozen cases proving action against crimes involving China, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and hacking.
Meanwhile, turmoil at the National Security Council (NSC) has created a climate of fear. Sources say NSC officials are aware investigations into CCP activity are stalling but are scared to push back for fear of losing their jobs. 'They're just trying to survive at the NSC,' an intelligence analyst said.
This follows waves of firings, including one in May where 100-200 staff—about half the remaining NSC team—were given 30 minutes to clear their desks in what officials described as a 'gutting of the deep state.'
The source close to the Select Committee on the CCP says Chairman John Moolenaar is being 'kept in the dark' on Trump's movements regarding China, such as the details of the deal struck over TikTok. Moolenaar has previously voiced annoyance over the administration's more 'dovish' approach.
A White House official concluded, 'Two things can be true at once… You can have policies that achieve all of the goals that the President was elected to implement… while simultaneously getting better deals for the country.'
