Chinese hackers impersonated Republican lawmaker, panel says

Maggie Eastland, Bloomberg News on Sep 8, 2025

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Suspected cyberattackers linked to the Chinese Communist Party impersonated the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China in a series of attempts to steal sensitive data on trade negotiations, the panel said.

Hackers masquerading as Rep. John Moolenaar sent multiple emails in recent weeks that sought to fool recipients into opening files and links that would grant the attackers access to information on U.S.-China trade talks, according to a committee statement on Monday. Emails went to U.S. government agencies, business organizations, law firms and at least one foreign government, the panel said.

Analysis by the committee found that the hackers tried to cover their tracks through improper use of software and cloud services, strategies that the panel identified as hallmarks of a state-sponsored intrusion. Officials have concluded the attempt was backed by the Chinese Communist Party, and the committee has alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Capitol Police.

“Based on the targeting, timing, and methods, and consistent with outside assessments, the Committee believes this activity to be CCP state-backed cyber-espionage aimed at influencing U.S. policy deliberations and negotiation strategies to gain an advantage in trade and foreign policy,” the panel said in its statement.

Allegations of the Chinese-backed cyber-espionage campaign threatened to add new strains to a tenuous tariff truce between the world’s two largest economies under a deal that’s set to expire in November. Officials from Washington and Beijing have been locked in discussions on key issues including export restrictions on rare earth magnets and key technologies.

The committee declined to comment beyond its statement, which follows a report by the Wall Street Journal on the cyberattack. The U.S. Capitol Police referred all question to the FBI. The FBI didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said lawmakers on the panel “have consistently resorted to unscrupulous means to attack and smear China.” He urged the group to “cease their erroneous actions” while calling hacker attacks a common threat that his country opposes.

In the committee’s statement, Moolenaar called the suspected cyber-espionage “another example of China’s offensive cyber-operations designed to steal American strategy and leverage it against Congress, the Administration, and the American people.”

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With assistance from Myles Miller.

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