The Shift from Contractors to Federal Employees in Foreign Recruitment Susceptibility

Counterintelligence Implications of the 2025 Federal Workforce Reduction

Abstract: This article examines how the 2025 federal workforce reduction made federal employees, both current and recently laid off, more susceptible to foreign intelligence recruitment than private government contracting employees. Traditionally, contractors have been considered likely candidates for espionage considering they had less job security and earned more money than federal employees, thus being seen as more financially-motivated. The 2025 federal workforce reduction however, has shifted the narrative since federal employees now lack job security and are experiencing feelings of anger, betrayal, and desperation which are motivating factors to commit espionage. To examine this shift, this article compares the Soviet Union era Money, Ideology, Coercion, and Ego (MICE) counterintelligence framework to the Reciprocation, Authority, Scarcity, Commitment and Consistency, Liking, and Social Proof (RASCLS) framework, arguing that the RASCLS framework must be used to better understand the new threat landscape. This is examined in a case study of a current Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) recruiting campaign explicitly targeting federal employees.

Keywords: Federal Workforce Reduction, Federal Employees, Government Contractors, Counterintelligence, MICE, RASCLS, Espionage.

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Traditionally, the American public and government workers have considered private government contracting employees more likely candidates for espionage instead of federal employees. Contractors are paid more than federal employees, thus being seen as more financially motivated than their mission-oriented federal counterparts. This view fits the Money, Ideology, Coercion, and Ego (MICE) framework of counterintelligence. A different framework focused on Reciprocation, Authority, Scarcity, Commitment and Consistency, Liking, and Social Proof (RASCLS) showcases how the 2025 federal workforce reduction shifted the narrative and made federal employees more susceptible to foreign recruitment and committing espionage than contractors.

Some may argue that the federal workforce reductions may reduce the counterintelligence risk since there are fewer employees with access to sensitive information to be recruited. However, it is important to consider the emotional implications of the workforce reduction on employees. Anger and desperation due to being laid off, fearing suddenly losing their job, and feeling betrayed and angry at the government causing these emotions are the motivations federal employees now have for committing espionage. Yes, there will be fewer employees in the government, but those that were laid off still know current and highly sensitive information. Driven by emotions rather than MICE factors, these employees are more susceptible to foreign intelligence recruitment, and our adversaries can use that as leverage. The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence service rapidly adapted to this shift in the targeting environment and used the RASCLS framework in their recruitment. Thus, the counterintelligence threat landscape has evolved, and the risk has increased due to the federal workforce reductions.

Why This Matters

The 2025 federal workforce reduction poses a grave national security threat. Federal employees who have been, or are anxious of being, laid off are at an increased risk of recruitment by foreign intelligence organizations, especially China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). Feelings of confusion, fear, anger, and even betrayal are running rampant among federal employees amidst the mass layoffs to reduce the federal workforce.^[1] These feelings can lead employees to act out of anger or desperation, and knowingly or unknowingly, being recruited for espionage against the United States.

Over thirty current and former federal employees said the mass firings made them feel devalued and demoralized in interviews with the Washington Post.^[2] The chaos of the mass firings pushed employees to experience new mental health struggles, such as panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. Employees with a history of mental health struggles said they had been “pushed into terrifying territory” as a result of the federal workforce reduction.^[3] When 28-year-old Richard Midgette was laid off from his information technology job at Yellowstone National Park after just two months of employment, he drove to a bridge and contemplated ending his own life for the first time.^[4] 55-year-old Caitlin Cross-Barnet spent twelve years as a federal health researcher; her husband found her about to jump off their third-floor fire escape after she was laid off.^[5]

Along with depression, feelings of extreme anxiety, betrayal, and anger are prevalent among federal employees due to the layoffs.^[6] Many federal employees, especially ones who work in national security and intelligence, possess a particular skill set that they are unsure how to use outside of government work.^[7] Some employees may think that if they cannot apply their skills to government service for their own country, perhaps they can for a foreign country, especially if they feel betrayed and desire revenge.^[8] This encapsulates the evolution of the counterintelligence threat from financially motivated contractors to emotionally motivated federal workers. Employees who have not been laid off but fear they will suddenly find themselves jobless may pursue a safety net, looking for jobs where they can apply their skills, or seeking jobs to harm the government they feel does not value them. Federal employees who have access to our nation’s most sensitive information were already prime targets for foreign intelligence recruitment and are now in a vulnerable position, making espionage a very attractive choice. To fully understand how the firings pose a counterintelligence risk, it is important for the counterintelligence professional to understand the details of what triggered these negative emotions in employees.

Origins of Anger

On his first day in office, 20 January 2025, President Donald J. Trump initiated a hiring freeze for the federal government via presidential memorandum “Hiring Freeze.” No federal civilian position that was vacant could be filled, and no new positions could be created, except for ones specifically exempted. Those exempted were military personnel and positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety.^[9] Trump also stated the hiring freeze shall not “adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans’ benefits;” and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may grant exemptions from the freeze where necessary.^[10] Trump explicitly stated that contracting outside of the federal government to circumvent the hiring freeze was prohibited.^[11]Federal employees may have initially planned to pursue contracting positions as a safety net in case of losing their federal job. However, Trump’s statement eliminated that option, making espionage more attractive or even seen as the only option left for desperate and angry employees.

Trump then issued Executive Order (EO) 14170, “Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service.” This EO aimed to make “merit, practical skill, and dedication to our Constitution” the primary factors for consideration in federal hiring instead of “impermissible factors” such as race and gender identity, factors which Trump said may cause the government to lose the “best-qualified candidates” when used for hiring consideration.^[12] Following this, on 11 February 2025, Trump issued Executive Order 14210, “Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was then headed by Elon Musk. This EO required the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to submit a plan to reduce the federal workforce, stating that the plan should require each agency to hire no more than one new employee for every four that depart.^[13] Exempted from this hiring ratio were positions related to public safety, law enforcement, and immigration enforcement.

Trump also instructed agency heads to implement preparations for large-scale reductions in force (RIF) and to separate temporary employees and reemployed annuitants working in areas subject to RIFs from federal service.^[14]Exemptions to RIFs were the same as those specified in the hiring freeze: military personnel and positions related to national security, immigration enforcement, and public safety. The Intelligence Community (IC), essential to national security efforts, still implemented the freeze and initiated large-scale reductions in force, making the people with knowledge of our nation’s most sensitive information anxious, desperate, and angry. On 7 July 2025, President Trump extended the hiring freeze until 15 October 2025.^[15]

Methodology

To examine the shift from contractors to federal employees being more susceptible to foreign intelligence recruitment, a mixture of primary and secondary sources was used. These include presidential memoranda and executive orders, academic articles, think tank analysis, a podcast hosted by national security professionals, and news articles. Sources are used objectively; however, bias is unavoidable in certain sources. The Washington Post article, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working.” is obviously biased against the Trump administration and DOGE. Despite partisan bias, this source offers insight into how current and recently laid-off federal employees are feeling by providing their personal stories of how DOGE has affected them.

The Common Ground Podcast episode, “Pink Slips and Loose Lips” is biased as it is a subjective analysis of the situation through the eyes of current and former federal employees and a therapist who counsels federal employees. Although inherently subjective, it provides insight from experienced counterintelligence practitioners. Finally, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a neoconservative think tank, but the specific article used is an objective summary and analysis of research into current Chinese recruitment operations targeting federal employees. The combination of these sources with academic articles and government documents provides a comprehensive view of the federal workforce reduction and its effect on employees. A theoretical discussion of MICE and RASCLS as related to the evolved counterintelligence threat will provide a strong foundation for the FDD case study.

Framing the Shift: MICE versus RASCLS

Recent federal layoffs have made former and current U.S. government employees more susceptible to espionage recruitment than contractors, who were traditionally considered the more vulnerable group. This is due to less job security than people who directly work for the U.S. government, and potentially being more monetarily motivated, as contracting jobs tend to pay, on average, 1.83 times more than government positions.^[16] In 2017, the Chief Executive Officers of the five largest federal contracting companies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, were paid $89.8 million combined whereas top Politicians earn under $200,000 and the President of the United States earns $400,000.^[17] Federal employees often cite patriotism, a desire to serve and give back to their country and fellow Americans, and job security as reasons for pursuing a federal career.^[18] Federal employees go into their careers knowing that they will make less money than people in the private sector and accept it since they are more service-motivated. There have been exceptions, such as Aldrich Ames, who committed espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union and Russia, motivated by monetary gain. Most federal employees, however, are mission-oriented individuals dedicated to public service.

The MICE framework works well for contractors, but not for the evolution of the counterintelligence threattowards federal employees. Money refers to the financial motivation for an individual to commit espionage. Money can also be leveraged against a potential recruit as a way to counter job insecurity. Ideology could be used to describe the shift in which federal employees are more susceptible to recruitment, but it does not fit well. Employees who have been laid off or fear losing their jobs are experiencing high levels of negative emotions like anger, sadness, and immense anxiety. They are motivated by emotion, not political, religious, or other ideological reasons. Job insecurity is a new factor contributing to those emotions as well. Contracting employees enter their jobs knowing it has low security, so emotions are not their primary motivation for espionage. Federal employees, however, usually have decent job security. While new fears for their financial future may drive their motivation to commit espionage, blaming the government for those feelings of fear or betrayal is also a major factor to consider. Thus, the MICE framework is outdated for the new counterintelligence threat landscape in the wake of mass government layoffs as it fails to fully capture the complexities of human emotions and motivation.^[19]

Randy Burkett, a former Central Intelligence Agency employee, introduced a new counterintelligence framework based on psychologist and influence expert Dr. Robert Cialdini’s six “weapons of mass influence” called RASCLS – Reciprocation, Authority, Scarcity, Commitment and Consistency, Liking, and Social Proof – in his article “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment: From MICE to RASCLS” published in Studies in Intelligence. First, it is important to understand what each aspect means in the context of counterintelligence and recruitment, with reciprocation, scarcity, and liking being the most relevant in the case of the federal layoffs.

The principle of reciprocity explains that all humans feel an obligation to return in kind a favor provided by another human, organization, or entity.^[20] Dr. Cialdini asserts that there is no human society that does not follow this norm.^[21] Burkett claims, “one of the easiest ways for a case officer to initiate and develop a relationship with a potential agent is to fill some small need the agent has revealed.”^[22] Amidst mass federal layoffs, federal employees have large needs: job security and steady income. However, a foreign recruiter may try to fill a smaller need, such as helpful information for starting a job search or advice on an unrelated problem, to create that initial feeling of obligation in their potential agent. This is currently seen in the Chinese network of fake job postings targeting federal employees, a case study examined in the next section. According to Dr. Cialdini, that feeling of obligation can come from something of little value, a concept referred to as “reciprocal concessions” or “rejection and retreat.”^[23] Burkett explains that after creating that initial feeling of obligation in an agent, a case officer can use rejection and retreat as the relationship develops to make future requests seem less onerous.^[24]

From childhood, humans are taught that compliance with authority is rewarded and resistance is punished, so the recruiting officer needs to make it known they hold a position of authority, preferably implicitly rather than explicitly.^[25] This implicit authority is more likely to resonate with the agent, evoking an almost instinctive desire to obey requests and receive rewards. The authoritative power play may not work well on federal employees, however, since they are currently experiencing anger and resentment towards authority.

The scarcity pillar of RASCLS is a prime way recruiters can recruit federal employees amidst the workforce reduction. Humans are more attracted to items and opportunities that seem less available, or scarce.^[26] Burkett says that recruitment pitches should clearly express to the agent that this is a fleeting and rare opportunity to act on whatever that agent’s motivation is.^[27] This increases the perceived value of the opportunity and gives the potential agent less time to debate and potentially withdraw from the opportunity. When consumed by powerful emotions, especially negative ones, people often do not think clearly. Federal employees who are overcome with anxiety, fear, desperation, anger, and resentment desire to act upon those emotions quickly, to achieve instant gratification through revenge. They want to feel better about their situation, so they want to harm or degrade the source of their pain, in this case, that is the United States government. Foreign case officers will target employees during this time of high emotion and advertise the opportunity as a rare chance to act upon the employees’ anger and frustration. Desperate employees will take the opportunity if they believe they will not get a better one, or another one at all.

Commitment and consistency are what keep the agent providing information to the foreign case officer. Burkett says humans desire consistency, those who are inconsistent are shunned by society and deemed untrustworthy.^[28]Theoretically, once the initial commitment is made, an agent will be consistent, as being inconsistent would be shameful. In the case of federal layoffs, employees are primarily motivated by current, highly negative emotions. Once those emotions subside, an employee who has been recruited may regret what they’ve done. However, it would be difficult for the employee to quit since it is the human desire to be consistent. Additionally, they may fear punishment for resisting that authority once they have already complied and committed.

The “liking” aspect of RASCLS deals with flattery and building a warm, personal relationship with the agent.^[29] According to Burkett, as the relationship grows, the case officer becomes a trusted confidant of the agent, which allows the case officer to identify an agent’s low self-esteem areas, such as what makes them feel undervalued and other vulnerabilities to be exploited.^[30] In the case of federal layoffs, those areas of vulnerability are at the forefront of employees’ minds. It is not hard for a foreign recruiter to learn them, potentially not even needing to develop a full relationship with the employee. The feelings of betrayal and being undervalued are noticeable and easy for foreign case officers to exploit.

Finally, social proof is determining what is “correct behavior” by observing other people’s behavior, especially in unfamiliar environments.^[31] Burkett claims that in espionage recruitment, “the ultimate social proof is the presence of the case officer, and implicitly the organization behind the case officer, who provides constant reminders that an agent is doing the right thing.”^[32] As discussed previously, a federal employee may feel regret for any actions taken against the U.S. once their negative emotions subside and they begin thinking rationally. However, the foreign case officer and organization behind him will be encouraging the employee, saying that they did the right thing. This social proof, combined with the commitment and consistency aspect, will keep the employee working for the foreign intelligence service. China’s MSS recognized the shift in motivations and populations to target. It is actively using the RASCLS framework to recruit U.S. federal employees for espionage.

It’s Not Just Theory: A Current Case Study

The MSS intelligence service quickly adapted to the threat shift and new targeting environment. On 16 May 2025, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank in Washington, D.C. published a memorandum discussing a Chinese intelligence operation targeting federal employees that its researchers uncovered. On 6 February 2025, a posting titled “Job Opportunities for Recently Laid-Off U.S. Government Employees” appeared on Craigslist’s Washington, D.C. jobs board.^[33] The post leads to a job posting for consulting services at a company based in Singapore.^[34] The Singaporean company website is actually part of a larger network of websites, job advertisements, and LinkedIn pages that appear to be run by the MSS, according to FDD analysis.^[35] FDD says this network of sites closely resembles previous Chinese intelligence operations from 2017-2023 targeting Americans, Germans, French, and British government employees using similar networks of job postings and sites linked together.^[36] The five companies FDD found listed themselves as consulting or internet service companies “based” in the United States, Singapore, and Japan. They are: Smiao Intelligence, Dustrategy, RiverMerge Strategies, Tsubasa Insight, Wavemax Innovation.^[37]

According to FDD, Smiao Intelligence is a legitimate Chinese company that created the other four, shown by shared internet infrastructure and other features. Smiao Intelligence is believed to be the real company because at the end of its web address is .cn, a top-level domain in China.^[38] The other four display signs of inauthenticity, such as AI-generated text and customers, and cloned websites.^[39] They also all used “the niche Chinese email provider chengmail[.]com” and four of the sites share “a single SSL certificate, a digital identity card for a website that enables secure, encrypted communication with visitors.”^[40]

Additional information on the operation is scarce in open sources. A picture of the Wavemax Innovation Craigslist job advertisement is provided for examination:

^[41]

The job posting is specifically aimed at U.S. federal employees with “Job Opportunities for Recently Laid-Off U.S. Government Employees” being the job title instead of a specific position title such as consultant, research analyst, etc. Within RASCLS, the MSS appears to be implicitly using scarcity by launching these advertisements amidst mass federal layoffs with the specific invitation to former federal employees. The MSS is taking advantage of federal employees’ fear that they cannot apply their government service skills in other private sector jobs by saying “we value the experience, skills, and commitment that government employees bring to the workforce.” This also utilizes the liking aspect of RASCLS by praising federal employees’ commitment to service and unique skills, making the potential agent feel valued before contact with a recruiter. One can assume that direct conversation between MSS recruiters and potential U.S. federal employee agents utilizes the other aspects of RASCLS, especially reciprocation, commitment, and consistency, and implicit authority, while increasing scarcity and liking efforts. The “Diverse Work Environment” point in the posting could be targeting employees who are angry about, or may have been laid off due to, the Trump Administration’s removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. This uses the liking aspect of RASCLS by adding value back to DEI that was removed in the U.S. federal government. This one posting exemplifies how China is using the RASCLS framework to target and recruit U.S. federal employees, making them the primary target for, and more susceptible to, foreign intelligence recruitment rather than contracting employees.

Conclusions and How the U.S. Should Respond

The damage has already been done. Federal employees are depressed, anxious, angry, and seeking revenge on the government that caused them pain. To counter the threat, the U.S. must increase both offensive and defensive counterintelligence efforts. It can feed counterintelligence professionals into the Chinese sites to dismantle the recruiting effort from the inside. It must also enhance insider threat monitoring of employees who have not been dismissed. If the United States does not act, our adversaries will get unprecedented access to our sensitive information, potentially destroying the U.S. government from the inside and uprooting the American way of life. Instead of the Soviet Union era MICE framework, counterintelligence professionals must use the RASCLS framework to understand the depth of human motivation based on emotion and human instinct, as emotion is the driving factor for espionage in the wake of the 2025 federal workforce reduction.

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Journal: The Sentinel Review
Author: Emily Miller Lewis
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6163-1565
Published: 1/26/2025
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18378312

Photo by Yan Krukau: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-bullied-in-the-work-place-7640777/

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^[1] William Wan, and Hannah Natanson, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/05/20/federal-workers-trump-mental-health/.

^[2] Wan and Natanson, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working.”

^[3] Wan and Natanson, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working.”

^[4] Wan and Natanson, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working.”

^[5] Wan and Natanson, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working.”

^[6] Common Ground Podcast, Special Episode: “Pink Slips and Loose Lips,” by Shane McNeil, Logan Rogue, Amandalynne Davis, and Dr. Sarah Berger, Sentinel Research Society, March 11, 2025, https://sentineljournal.substack.com/p/special-episode-pink-slips-and-loose.

^[7] Common Ground Podcast, Special Episode: “Pink Slips and Loose Lips,” by Shane McNeil, Logan Rogue, Amandalynne Davis, and Dr. Sarah Berger.

^[8] Common Ground Podcast, Special Episode: “Pink Slips and Loose Lips,” by Shane McNeil, Logan Rogue, Amandalynne Davis, and Dr. Sarah Berger.

^[9] Donald J. Trump, “Hiring Freeze,” Presidential Memorandum, The White House, January 20, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze/.

^[10] Trump, “Hiring Freeze,” Presidential Memorandum.

^[11] Trump, “Hiring Freeze,” Presidential Memorandum.

^[12] Trump, “Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service,” Executive Order 14170, The White House, January 20, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reforming-the-federal-hiring-process-and-restoring-merit-to-government-service/.

^[13] Donald J. Trump, “Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative,” Executive Order No. 14210, The White House, February 11, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative/.

^[14] Trump, “Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative,” Executive Order No. 14210.

^[15] Donald J. Trump, “Ensuring Accountability and Prioritizing Public Safety in Federal Hiring,” Presidential Memorandum, The White House, July 7, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/ensuring-accountability-and-prioritizing-public-safety-in-federal-hiring/.

^[16] Scott Amey, “Feds vs. Contractors: Federal Employees Often Save Money, But an Advisory Panel Is Needed to Create a Cost Comparison Model,” Project on Government Oversight, April 15, 2013, https://www.pogo.org/public-comments/feds-vs-contractors-federal-employees-often-save-money-but-an-advisory-panel-is-needed-to-create-a-cost-comparison-model.

^[17] Neil Gordon, “About Those Excessive Federal Contractor Salaries…,” Project on Government Oversight, June 12, 2018, https://www.pogo.org/analysis/about-those-excessive-federal-contractor-salaries.

^[18] Wan and Natanson, “White House Officials Wanted to Put Federal Workers ‘In Trauma.’ It’s Working.”

^[19] Randy Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment: From MICE to RASCLS,” Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 57, No. 1 (2013): 7-17, Accessed June 18, 2025, https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/9ccc45dc156271d11769e5205ec49c29/Alt-Framework-Agent-Recruitment-1.pdf.

^[20] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 13.

^[21] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 13.

^[22] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 14.

^[23] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 14.

^[24] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 14.

^[25] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 14.

^[26] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 15.

^[27] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 15.

^[28] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 15.

^[29] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 16.

^[30] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 16.

^[31] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 16.

^[32] Burkett, “Rethinking and Old Approach: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment,” 17.

^[33] Max Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation Targeting Recently Laid-Off U.S. Government Employees,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, May 16, 2025, https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/05/16/fdd-uncovers-likely-chinese-intelligence-operation-targeting-recently-laid-off-u-s-government-employees/.

^[34] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[35] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[36] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[37] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[38] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[39] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[40] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”

^[41] Lesser, “FDD Uncovers Likely Chinese Intelligence Operation.”