The State Division mentioned Wednesday that it has fired a US diplomat over a romantic relationship he admitted having with a Chinese language lady alleged to have ties to the Chinese language Communist Celebration.
The dismissal is believed to be the primary of its variety for violating a ban on such relationships that was launched late final yr underneath the Biden administration.
The Related Press reported earlier this yr that within the waning days of Democrat Joe Biden's presidency, the State Division imposed a ban on all American authorities personnel in China, in addition to relations and contractors with safety clearances, from any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese language residents.
Tommy Pigott, a State Division spokesman, mentioned in a press release that the diplomat in query was dismissed from the overseas service after President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reviewed the case and decided that he had “admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese language nationwide with recognized ties to the Chinese language Communist Celebration.”
“Beneath Secretary Rubio's management, we'll preserve a zero-tolerance coverage for any worker who's caught undermining our nation's nationwide safety,” Pigott mentioned.
The assertion didn't establish the diplomat, however he and his girlfriend had been featured in a surreptitiously filmed video posted on-line by conservative firebrand James O'Keefe.
