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NATIONAL SECURITY WARNINGS: The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday warned of Chinese national security threats due to Chinese government efforts to “exert its global dominance.”
The joint statement from Acting Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) came a day after Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal describing China as the “greatest threat” to the U.S. since World War II.
The senators’ remarks also came a day after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) put out a similarly strong statement warning of Chinese threats.
“We agree with DNI Ratcliffe that China poses the greatest national security threat to the United States,” Rubio and Warner said. “Our intelligence is clear: the Chinese Communist Party will stop at nothing to exert its global dominance. Beijing’s infiltration of U.S. society has been deliberate and insidious as they use every instrument of influence available to accelerate their rise at America’s expense.”
The committee leaders accused China of threatening U.S. “democratic values” through the Chinese Communist Party’s alleged targeting of “our free speech, politics, technology, economy, military, and even our drive to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.”
They said the U.S. must stand its ground in the face of threats against allies.
BIDEN WEIGHS IN: President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday that China must play by “international norms” when speaking about possible retaliatory action against the country for mishandling the coronavirus pandemic when it first broke out.
During Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris‘s first joint interview since wining the election, CNN host Jake Tapper asked the pair if China should be “punished” for mishandling and hiding information on the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in Wuhan. Biden has said that he will not immediately lift the tariffs on China that President Trump put in place.
“The president’s approach to China has been backwards,” said Biden. “I met with [President] Xi [Jinping] more times than anybody had up until the time we left office that I’m aware of.”
Biden said his goal would be to make it “real clear to China there are international rules that if you want to play by, we’ll play with you. If you don’t, we’re not going to play.”
“It’s not about punishing them for COVID virus; it’s about insisting that there be international norms that are established that they play by,” Biden said.
Biden said that he would insist on stopping the theft of national secrets and “artificial intelligence capacity.” He added that the requirement on tech companies to have 51 percent of their partners be Chinese in order to conduct business in the country was “not going to happen in our administration.”
Harris appeared to be more reluctant to make any definite statements.
VOTE BY APP: House Democrats used an app called Markup ERVS to cast votes in the caucus’ first-ever virtual leadership elections, a spokesperson for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) confirmed Friday.
Democrats had previously disclosed they would be using an app to cast votes virtually during the coronavirus pandemic but had not revealed the name of the app they chose.
“In order to ensure we could organize our Caucus safely amid the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, House Democrats conducted the first-ever virtual elections for its leadership team and committee chairs using Markup’s ERVS secure voting app on House issued phones,” Jeffries said in a statement.
“The technology has been incredibly well-received by the Members and we are ready to continue our fight For The People in the next Congress,” Jeffries added.
Markup ERVS is a “secure electronic remote voting system” that enables elected officials to record their votes, according to an app store description. Reuters first reported details about the app Democrats used on Friday.
Markup, a D.C.-based company, launched its remote voting product in March, as the coronavirus pandemic posed increasing issues around gathering in person.
The Democrats used the secure voting system to cast preferences for assistant Speaker, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair and chairs of various major committees, according to Markup. Democrats nominated Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to remain atop the party in a voice vote, which was also conducted remotely.
ICYMI — CYBER CZAR INCOMING: The defense policy bill Congress plans to pass this month now includes language that would create a national cyber director at the White House, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) confirmed to The Hill on Thursday.
The cyber czar would be responsible for coordinating federal cybersecurity priorities and would be a Senate-confirmed post.
The provision creating the top post is part of the conference report consolidating the House and Senate versions of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Language establishing the position was included in the House-passed version of the NDAA, but the version approved by the Senate only included a clause requiring an “independent assessment” of the “feasibility” of establishing the role.
With its inclusion in the conference report, which is set to be rolled out Thursday, the provision will almost certainly be included in the measure sent to President Trump for his signature after it’s passed by Congress.
Langevin, who introduced standalone legislation to create the position earlier this year, credited inclusion of the provision to strong bipartisan support for creating the post.
Lighter click: A match made in otter heaven
An op-ed to chew on: What to expect from state attorneys general during a Biden administration
NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:
Parler Users Are Gathering on Facebook to Complain About Parler (OneZero / Sarah Emerson)
Tony Hsieh’s American Tragedy: The Self-Destructive Last Months Of The Zappos Visionary (Forbes / Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans)
Amazon Is Charged With Firing A Worker Just Because She Fought For Better Working Conditions (BuzzFeed / Caroline O’Donovan)
EU privacy role would rein in the hunt for online child sexual abuse (The New York Times / Gabriel J.X. Dance and Adam Satariano)