BELGIUM’S ALLEGED CHINESE SPY
A Belgian politician has been booted from his party after allegedly serving as an asset for a Chinese communist spy ring for years.
Frank Creyelman, a former senator and honorary member of the Belgian Parliament, allegedly sought to influence European policy on China-related issues and to worsen U.S.-European relations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a trove of leaked text messages.
Creyelman served in various positions in the Belgian Parliament from 1995 to 2014, at one point acting as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy, European Affairs, and International Cooperation.
He belonged to Belgium’s right-wing Vlaams Belang party and previously traveled abroad to express support for other authoritarian regimes in Russia and Belarus.
The allegations follow the publication of numerous text messages between Creyelman and a Chinese spy handler, first uncovered by a joint investigation by the Financial Times, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde.
The texts suggest that Creyelman and CCP Ministry of State Security officer Daniel Woo worked together for at least three years, during which time Creyelman appeared to accept payments in exchange for promoting CCP talking points and smearing the regime’s critics.
Creyelman and Woo’s alleged plots included efforts to break up a Taiwan-related conference, publicly smearing the researchers who uncovered evidence of genocide in China’s Xinjiang region, and even a proposed bribe to a Catholic cardinal.
In some of the texts, Woo told Creyelman that his organization sought to create embarrassment and worry for American leadership, and to divide the United States and Europe.
“Our purpose is to divide the US-European relationship,” Woo wrote in one of the messages.
Vlaams Belang leader Tom Van Grieken announced shortly after the publication of the texts that Creyelman had been expelled from the party.
“His behavior is completely unacceptable and is contrary to the aims and reason for being of our party,” Van Grieken said.
“This is miles apart from what our nationalism stands for.”
In all, the alleged conspiracy outlines how far the CCP regime may be willing to go to destabilize the international order for its own benefit.
—Andrew Thornebrooke and Joseph Lord
LESS THAN 1 MONTH TO IOWA
The three frontrunners for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are making their final push for the White House ahead of the official start of election season.
Not a lot has changed about the state of the race on a macroscopic level: Former President Donald Trump remains the clear leader in the race by double-digit margins.
Trailing far behind him are former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trailing them are biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
In a race that he’s already dominated, Trump received more good news last week after a poll by Morning Consult showed him leading in all seven key swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—undercutting his opponents’ claims that he’s unelectable in a general election.
The Iowa caucus, which marks the official kickoff of the 2024 election season, will take place on Jan. 15.
Currently, RealClearPolitics shows Trump leading the Iowa field by a staggering 32 points, followed by DeSantis and Haley.
That’s bad news for DeSantis, who’s poured much of his funding into Iowa in a campaign strategy that banks on winning the first-in-nation caucus.
Also compounding troubles for DeSantis, over the weekend, Jeff Roe, the lead strategist for the DeSantis-linked Never Back Down super PAC, announced that he was stepping down from the post.
Still, DeSantis has been defiant, telling his supporters in Iowa to disregard the polls.
“The media wants to act like you guys don’t even matter,“ DeSantis said. ”I’ve looked at polls and past Iowa caucuses, and they never come out right.”
At the same time, Trump has started to focus on New Hampshire, the nation’s first formal primary.
Recently, polls have shown a small surge for Haley in the northeastern state, which will hold its primary on Jan. 23.
Haley was recently endorsed by New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. But it doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent in Trump’s lead.
RealClearPolitics averages still put her well below Trump in the state, showing 44.3 percent support for Trump and 21.3 percent for Haley—a more than 20-point divide. Below her is Christie, whose entire 2024 strategy has hinged on an early victory in the state.
Cementing the pollsters’ claims, Trump recently drew a crowd of roughly 7,500 people in one of New England’s most left-wing university towns.
During that appearance, he mocked the media’s claims of a Haley surge.
“Where’s the surge?” he asked, pointing out that he was leading her by as much as 50 percent in national surveys while she remained in the teens.
On the other hand, Haley may be gunning for a consolation prize: the vice presidency.
Despite his sometimes-fraught relationship with her, Trump recently said that he wouldn’t rule out choosing her as his running mate.
“I’ve always gotten along with Nikki,” Trump said, adding, “We have some things in common and some things we don’t have in common, and some of those things are very important.”
The same can’t be said for DeSantis and Ramaswamy, who have each said they won’t run under Trump.
—Joseph Lord
SENATE'S BORDER NEGOTIATIONS
The Senate is set to return to Capitol Hill today to resume negotiations on a package to fund Ukraine and secure the southern border even as House lawmakers are out of town.
But lawmakers have several hurdles to overcome before they can reach an agreement: fighting between both chambers of Congress, party infighting, and disagreements about the proper scope of the deal are only a few challenges the deal faces.
For months, Republicans and Democrats in the upper chamber have sought to work out a deal strengthening U.S. policy at the southern border in exchange for additional aid to foreign allies like Ukraine and Israel.
Negotiators on the deal include Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and both Senate party leaders. Recently, the negotiations have also included White House representatives and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The resumption of negotiations comes as polls show dwindling support for President Joe Biden’s handling of the border, with one Fox News poll showing that as many as 66 percent of Americans disapprove.
Negotiators in the Senate have been tight-lipped on the details of the negotiations, but a few broad themes have emerged.
These include reports that negotiators are considering raising the standard of credible fear to seek asylum, which would greatly reduce asylum claims, and expanding detentions and deportations—potentially including the adoption of a Title 42-like policy that would give Border Patrol agents greater discretion in turning away illegal aliens at the border.
Earlier this month, negotiations on the Ukraine–border deal fell apart after lawmakers reached an impasse. Talks have resumed, but Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and others say not to expect a quick turnaround.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mr. Graham was asked about the prospects of reaching a deal before the New Year.
“I think this will go into next year,“ he replied, citing conversations with negotiators. ”We’re not anywhere close to a deal. It'll go into next year.”
He added, “It’s important to get a good border deal.” He said that Republicans “are not gonna give in on some Band-Aid fix.”
Many observers agree with Graham’s assessment that any quick deal is a long shot—particularly as the House has already left Washington for its holiday recess.
Compounding the difficulties of a quick turnaround are disagreements between House and Senate lawmakers of both parties.
House Republicans have demanded a package much closer to H.R. 2—a border security bill that passed the lower chamber earlier this year in a party-line vote—in exchange for Ukraine funding. This is a much higher bar than that currently being pursued by Senate negotiators.
Members of both parties, meanwhile, are frustrated by the sense that they’ve been left out of the talks.
Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said that negotiations can’t end in the Senate.
“The deal between the Senate and the White House is going to be much different than the House,” he said.
On “Fox News Sunday,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) echoed Gonzalez’s comments.
“The House has to be at the negotiating table,“ Khanna said. ”We want a safe border. We want an orderly and humane process. But ... the negotiation hasn’t involved the relevant people.”
Additionally, splits within the House will make passing any comprehensive measure difficult.
To even come to the floor, the Senate deal will need House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) approval.
Many House Republicans have indicated that they’re unilaterally opposed to further Ukraine funding—even if paired with a border deal they'd otherwise like.
House Democrats, meanwhile, will likely need to agree to the deal, which will be deeply unpopular with the Democratic base, in order to pass any proposed package.
Progressives in particular are frustrated with the progress of the talks, arguing that reports about the deal suggest that it would effectively ban asylum.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said that Democrats agreeing to a deal with Republicans would be tantamount to “enabling” what he called “right-wing racism.”
Rep. Pramilla Jayapal (D-Wash.) echoed the sentiment.
“Senate Democrats and the White House must not agree to these extreme demands,” she said.
—Joseph Lord
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- The Supreme Court holds a tribute ceremony for the late Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
- Finland Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will sign a defense cooperation pact in Washington.
- Nikki Haley holds a town hall in Nevada, Iowa.
BOOKMARKS
A Pentagon plan to develop thousands of drones to counter China is facing scrutiny from tech leaders and government officials alike. In a report on the issue, Politico cited the concerns of one critic, who ripped the plan as “disorganized and confusing.”
Jeffrey Epstein’s mysterious death in 2019, coming on the heels of the arrest of the disgraced billionaire, shocked the world. In a mammoth piece on Epstein’s life and crimes, the Wall Street Journal explored the lurid details of the financier’s decades-long abuse of women and girls as young as 14.
After Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, one question has been at the forefront for observers: how did Israel’s massive and sophisticated intelligence network miss such a large-scale, well organized plan? Now, those questions have resurfaced following the discovery of a large underground tunnel close to a busy crossing in Israel that helped facilitate the attack, the Associated Press reports.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), who will be retiring from the Senate at the conclusion of this Congress, demurred from giving a timeline on a speculated third-party bid, Axios reported. Manchin has been pegged as a possible contender for the third-party No Labels effort along with fellow outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
After the end of the Civil War, the United States sought to reunify the fractured nation by recognizing the sacrifices of both sides of the Civil War. The Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery, one such remnant of the post-war push to reunite the nation, will be removed despite Republican opposition, Fox News reports. The removal of the memorial is only the latest in a long-line of pushes to remove all traces of the Confederacy and its heroes from public spaces.
Space Command, the Pentagon’s newest and 11th combatant command, has reached full operating capability. The Epoch Times’ Frank Fang reports on the announcement and what it means for the U.S. military.
