[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4668-S4669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



               Nomination of Christopher Charles Fonzone

  Mr. President, Huawei is no ordinary phone company; it is the eyes 
and ears of the Chinese Communist Party. According to our Department of 
Defense, Huawei is a ``Communist Chinese military company'' that is 
controlled by the People's Liberation Army. A former officer in the PLA 
founded Huawei.
  Huawei is built on stolen technology from American companies like 
Cisco, and it is engaged in espionage all around the world on behalf of 
its masters in Beijing, which raises some important questions.
  Should American citizens work on behalf of a Communist Chinese 
military company? If they do, should they then go on to serve in senior 
positions in the U.S. Government, making policies that will directly 
affect our safety and security? These aren't academic questions. The 
Senate is now considering whether to confirm one Christopher Fonzone 
for a senior legal position in the Office of the Director of National 
Intelligence.
  By all accounts, Mr. Fonzone is a capable lawyer. I don't question 
his qualifications or his character, but there is reason to question 
his judgment.
  While working as a law partner at Sidley Austin, Mr. Fonzone 
performed legal work for Huawei, as well as China's Ministry of 
Commerce. He performed this work during a critical period when our 
government was actively exposing Huawei as a Chinese spy company and 
applying sanctions to it.
  He also wasn't just a longtime lawyer in private practice with long-
standing clients, to include foreign clients; he had spent most of his 
career in government, primarily in national security roles. I cannot 
imagine that he was not aware of the China threat in general or the 
Huawei threat in particular. After all, the House Intelligence 
Committee had produced a landmark report exposing Huawei in 2012, while 
he served in the Obama administration.
  Now, I recognize he didn't do all that much work for Huawei--just a 
few billable hours here and there--but the fact remains that he first 
served Huawei, and now he wants to serve in the U.S. Government. Nor is 
he willing to foreclose the possibility of working for such companies 
in the future.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Fonzone is far from alone in his lapse of 
judgment. There is a rapidly revolving door in Washington, DC, that 
shuttles people in and out of government. Unfortunately, some of those 
people go on to work for companies with ties to the Chinese Government 
and its armed wing, the People's Liberation Army, after they cycle out 
of government. These individuals are part of what I call the new China 
lobby. They work at white-shoe law firms, sprawling multinational 
corporations, and big banks. Their pockets are lined with Chinese 
Communist cash, just like Hollywood executives and NBA stars and ivory 
tower academics. Some of them get very rich by doing Beijing's bidding, 
and they don't want the gravy train to stop
  Consider a recent article in the Financial Times, which reported that 
some of the richest banks and investment firms in America had been 
forming partnerships with Chinese state-run banks. Similarly, some of 
America's biggest companies, like Nike and Coca-Cola, are so addicted 
to access to the Chinese market that they lobbied last year against a 
bill to crack down on goods made by slave labor--all because that bill 
would make it more difficult for Coke and Nike to make their

[[Page S4669]]

products in China and to keep access to the Chinese market.
  At the same time as our country wages a cold war against the Chinese 
Communist Party, some of our best and brightest are taking their 
talents--King James, LeBron James, who is up to his ears in Chinese 
cash--to work for companies that are little more than puppets of the 
Chinese state.
  That is deeply troubling, and it is high time the U.S. Senate take a 
stand against the China lobby. That is why I will, regrettably, oppose 
Mr. Fonzone's nomination. Although he is far from the worst offender, 
it is time we start drawing a line, and in the future, I will therefore 
carefully scrutinize nominees for ties to the regime in Beijing and 
military companies like Huawei.
  If you wish to serve in the U.S. Government in the future, let me be 
very clear: Do not do business with the Chinese Communist Party or its 
military or the companies that support it. Stop it today. Don't take 
the work. Don't take the meeting. Don't cash the check.
  A man cannot serve two masters. It is as true today as it was in the 
old days.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Mr. President from Missouri.
  Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators 
Rubio, Peters, and I be allowed to complete our remarks before the 
scheduled rollcall vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there any objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.