House Oversight Committee leaders have urged the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review how the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigates instances of foreign nationals probing sensitive U.S. facilities.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and National Security, Border, and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Chairman Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) sent a letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dadaro on July 30 urging his office to review how the DOJ reviews “non-traditional” intelligence collectors; namely, foreign nationals who appear to lack any specific training as an intelligence officer.
“Foreign intelligence organizations often utilize traditional intelligence officers for higher-risk collection, but they also use non-traditional collectors such as foreign nationals on student visas, to collect less high-risk information,” the two lawmakers wrote. “While these individuals might not be professionally trained intelligence officers, they may still be positioned and motivated to collect information aimed at jeopardizing U.S. national security.”…