ALEXANDRIA, VA- Thomas Pauken II, son of former Texas Republican Party chairman Thomas Pauken, was arrested by the FBI in February for allegedly acting as an agent for the Chinese government, PEOPLE Magazine online reported.
An affidavit submitted in federal court by FBI special agent Timothy Healy and obtained by Politico detailed the information surrounding Pauken’s arrest. He was denied pretrial release in March, according to the outlet.
The documents assert that Pauken, who lived in China for over a decade of working “at the direction and control” of individuals working with the People’s Republic of China Intelligence Services (PRCIS) since at least 2019, Politico wrote.
Pauken returned to the United States in January 2025 and immediately caught the attention of the FBI, which questioned him about his activities in China and plans stateside. He allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officials that he had some meetings to attend and was returning to China in three days, the affidavit asserted.
One individual he met with was allegedly with an unidentified woman seeking a position in the Trump administration, which she eventually received. A woman who worked with China’s Ministry of State Security, nickname “Cathy,” whom Pauken had been in communications with, provided that unidentified female with a cellphone and laptop to aid in Cathy’s goal of “obtaining classified information,” the affidavit alleged.
“Pauken believed if [the person] was hired by the incoming presidential administration, he was 90% sure that [the person] would provide classified information to the PRC…,” the affidavit said.
CBP told Pauken to “continue his plans as if nothing had changed” as any such change could put him at “risk” from China’s Ministry of State Security, while also warning him not to “obtain or transfer any classified material.”
The affidavit alleged that since at least 2019, Cathy would also pay for Pauken’s trips back and forth between China and the U.S. and would pay him at least $100,000 for his reports, which she told him made it all the way to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In February 2026, Pauken returned to the U.S. for the alleged purpose of getting the individual working in the Trump administration to work with Cathy and provide them with a SIM card to communicate with them, Politico wrote, citing the affidavit. That person ended up reporting details of the incident to the FBI.
Pauken, an author and journalist, admitted to the FBI that he was “part of a conspiracy to obtain classified information” from the U.S. government by acting as a “middleman” between the PRCIS–an individual with China’s Ministry of State Security whom he contacted–and U.S. connections, the affidavit alleged.
PEOPLE reached out to the Eastern District of Virginia federal court and Pauken’s attorney, Charles Burnham, for comment on the charges.
“It’s critical to understand that Mr. Pauken is not charged with spying or mishandling classified information,” Burnham emphasized in a statement.
“The government’s complaint charges that Mr. Pauken did professional work for a foreign government without first completing certain required paperwork. We look forward to responding to the government’s allegations in court,” he added.
Pauken worked for several Chinese media sites in his position as a journalist, including China Radio International, China Central Television, China Global Television Network, and Xinhua.
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