Foreign Service Officer Says He “Defied My Government for Love” in CCP-Linked Affair

WASHINGTON, DC- It looks like Eric Swalwell (D-CA) isn’t the only government official to be sucked in (no pun intended) by a Chinese spy. 

The O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) last week released an undercover video in which a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer was captured on a hidden camera, where he admitted to knowingly violating diplomatic security protocols by failing to report a romantic relationship with the daughter of a senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official. 

Daniel Choi, the foreign service officer, admitted during the “date” with an undercover OMG journalist that he “defied my government for love.”

Choi revealed that he didn’t file a required disclosure after he started a relationship with 27-year-old Joi Zao, a Chinese national who entered the United States on a work visa last September. 

Under federal regulations, OMG wrote, such officers are “required to report close and continuing contact with foreign nationals from adversarial nations, including China.”

Choi claimed he didn’t believe the requirement was fair, stating, “I was supposed to, whatever, sort of report what I knew about her,” he said, adding, “But I always thought that was kind of unfair.” 

Choi, who apparently does not have much of a filter, admitted he knew that Zao’s father was a high-ranking official within the Chinese Communist Party. 

“Her dad was either a provincial or federal minister of education,” he said. “So he’s, like, straight-up Communist Party.” Choi even admitted that Zao “could have been a spy” when asked if she may have been engaged in espionage. 

Choi said he hid his relationship with Zao “out of respect” for her, adding that he would have “considered” reporting their relationship if it became serious or led to marriage. 

“If I were dating somebody and we were going to get married…then maybe I would do the report.” 

According to State Department protocols, foreign contacts from specified nations are required to be reported regardless of the depth or duration of the relationship. Choi admitted that he was aware of the policy, saying, “If you’re at the embassy in China, in Beijing, you’re not allowed to date locals at all.” 

OMG reached out to both the U.S. State Department and Choi regarding his statements. 

The State Department issued a statement to OMG following the investigation into CCP-linked influence and alleged misconduct by a U.S. official. 

The State Department, through a senior official, said, “The incident is under investigation. The Department has zero tolerance for individuals who jeopardize national security by putting their personal interests ahead of our great nation.”