US political commentator sentenced to two years in prison for working as Chinese agent
Thomas Pauken II, a journalist and political commentator originally from the United States, was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after it was discovered he acted as “an agent of a foreign government” while in the country.
TL;DR
- Thomas Pauken II, a U.S. journalist, was sentenced to two years in prison for acting as an unregistered agent for China.
- He worked under the direction of China's Ministry of State Security, providing information and attempting to recruit assets.
- Pauken sought to bribe an individual for job information within the Trump administration, intending to send reports to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- He also sold sensitive information about government affairs, technology, and the Department of Justice to Chinese representatives.
- The FBI stated Pauken exploited his U.S. citizenship to support Chinese espionage operations.