Peoria Standard

Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Subcommittee on NSA & Cyber and member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has led his Republican colleagues in requesting a briefing from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The request centers on concerns about national security and personal data linked to Temu, a CCP-associated entity, and its parent company, Pinduoduo (PDD).

In a letter addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray and SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, signed by all HPSCI Republicans, members pointed out PDD's connections to potential trade issues, slave labor, and national security threats.

The letter states: "We are concerned about the protection of Americans' data. Analogous to Congress’ action on TikTok, the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese national security laws, and Americans' data must be understood. We have concerns that the CCP has undertaken yet another attempt to exploit democracy, free market principles, and the personal and economic data of the United States."

The committee members seek answers to several questions:

- Has the FBI provided any intelligence to the SEC regarding these issues?

- Has the SEC requested intelligence about PDD and Temu? If so, what assistance has been provided by the FBI or other intelligence agencies?

- Does the SEC regularly receive intelligence products or make requests to inform their work?

- What laws or policies hinder greater information sharing between intelligence agencies and the SEC?

- Examples where coordination between FBI and SEC occurred recently.

The full letter is available for public viewing.