A Democrat staffer working for Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) was fired after she allegedly contacted other congressional staff members and invited them to meetings with Chinese embassy personnel.
The National Review (NR) reported that Barbara Hamlett, a veteran aide and scheduler, was fired following an investigation by the sergeant at arms (SAA) office into the allegations. Sources told the conservative magazine that Hamlett would send emails, phone, and even show up at the offices of other congressional members to invite staff to meetings with Chinese embassy staff.
The SAA contacted Breyer’s office Tuesday, saying that they were aware of two meetings Hamlett tried to set up at Charlie Palmer Steak restaurant near Capitol Hill. They instructed the representative not to take any action toward her until they could notify federal counterintelligence officials.
The next day, following the SAA’s consultation with counterintelligence officials, Breyer’s office conducted its own internal investigation and found that Hamlett had attempted to set up meetings with at least two congressional Republican offices. She was subsequently fired.
In a statement to NR, a senior staffer for Breyer’s office said:
Congressman Beyer was totally unaware of these activities prior to being contacted by the House Sergeant At Arms[.] As soon as he learned of them, he followed every directive he was given by security officials. The staffer in question is no longer employed by the office of Congressman Beyer.
The statement went on to say that Breyer was “deeply upset” by the now-former aide’s alleged ties with the Chinese embassy and said that he would “remain a fierce critic of China’s record, continue to oppose the CCP’s totalitarian repression of its citizens, and hold himself and his staff to the highest professional and ethical standards.”
One anonymous congressional aide told NR that Chinese embassy staff had emailed him numerous times to meet regarding his boss’s legislation, but he ignored it. Hamlett then showed up at his office, claiming she was “friends” with the embassy. He later agreed to meet with embassy staff after she initially proposed lunch.
When they met up for lunch, the Chinese diplomats were critical of legislation that his boss supported. Hamlett was allegedly not involved in the meeting, as she sat at another table with an embassy staffer, according to the anonymous aide.
A similar incident occurred with a different Republican congressional aide, where Hamlett allegedly showed up at the office door after he ignored emails from the embassy. He was noted to have viewed her activities as “highly suspicious.”
Another source told the conservative magazine that although Hamlett was involved in inappropriate behavior with the Chinese embassy, in her capacity as a congressional scheduler she did not have access to sensitive classified information.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Hamlett has worked for congressional lawmakers since the 1970s, including the late Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania (who was first a Democrat, then a Republican, and then again a Democrat), former Reps. Diane Watson (D-CA), Ed Towns (D-NY), and Charlie Rangel (D-NY), as well as current Reps. Mike Honda (D-CA) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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Breitbart News 2022-10-29 23:37:00
