Stefanik Questions University Official on Chinese Student Spying
Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) intensified her questioning of university officials on Thursday, this time addressing Michigan’s interim president, Domenico Grasso, regarding allegations of Chinese student spies on the campus.
Stefanik probed why the university had not been conducting thorough reviews of its research programs for possible national security risks, especially in light of a recent incident involving a Chinese national accused of espionage in the U.S.
“Last year, after facing pressure from Congress, Michigan ended its collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University following the arrest of five Chinese students,” Stefanik stated. “These individuals misled U.S. law enforcement about their intentions and even conspired to delete evidence from their devices using WeChat, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”
She pressed further, “Has the university conducted a comprehensive audit to see if any intellectual property or federally funded research has been compromised?”
Mr. Grasso replied that no audit had been performed and claimed he was “not aware” of any compromised research, adding that the alleged spying incident occurred “miles away from campus.”
Stefanik, clearly unsatisfied, followed up with, “I understand that Camp Grayling is off campus, but has it been subject to an audit?”
Grasso acknowledged that Michigan State had not conducted an audit regarding these students. “Well, they weren’t researchers,” he noted, expressing his suspicion of their activities. “They were undergraduates, so we didn’t audit them.”
“They didn’t have access to any of our research,” he emphasized.
However, Stefanik insisted on the significance of the matter, referencing the serious nature of the espionage accusations. “Clearly, they did something wrong off campus,” she stated. “It’s crucial for the university to ensure a thorough audit is conducted to verify there’s no wrongdoing or unauthorized research taking place.”
Grasso conceded that he “doesn’t know what all the researchers are involved in” and questioned whether the War Department would permit foreign students access to sensitive information on campus.
In closing, he remarked, “Members of Congress, we are improving and refining our background checks on all researchers and students entering our country. We also need to partner more with federal intelligence agencies to ensure tighter screenings are in place before any student is granted a visa.”
