NASA Researcher Arrested for False Statements and Wire Fraud in Relation to China’s Talents Program, Department of Justice
“The charges allege Cheng and TAMU received funds based on Cheng knowingly providing false information to TAMU and consequently to NASA. In addition to the funds, Cheng personally benefited from his affiliation with TAMU and NASA with increased access to unique NASA resources, such as the International Space Station, according to the complaint. This access allegedly allowed Cheng to further his standing in China at Guangdong University of Technology and other universities. The charges further allege he held senior research positions there unknown to TAMU and NASA and was able to serve in the People’s Republic of China Talents program. China’s Talents Plans are allegedly designed to attract, recruit and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security.”
Our Department of Justice – for all of its faults – has been historically a righteous source of pride the Americans knew would be impartial with no regard for the WH occupant.
Sure, problems existed. Still, for all the problems we could rely on career lawyers to do the right thing; to use the prodigious power and stunning resources at their disposable in a way that even if imperfect was transparent.
Lots of weasel words in what I just wrote; but they necessarily balance this: the Justice Department is no longer a source of pride. Like so many American institutions, including the FBI, the department has suffered under the garage of criticism hurled at it while at the same time the highest levels are populated by partisans loyal not to America but to the President.
“Always been so!”, one might assert; but this claim is wrong both in amplitude and width.
So in this context, what is to be made of more anti-China assertions? While I’m convinced that Chinese activities are broadly dangerous, at the same time I simply question the Department of Justice.
It’s a fu**ing mess.
You might want to read the book “Thread of the Silkworm” by Iris Chang about how one of the founders of JPL was deported to China in the 1950’s by a politically motivated DOJ. He went on to be the founder of the Chinese space program.
Than there was old J. Edgar Hoover and his policy of investigating folks like Dr. Martin Luther King for political reasons or whom he simply disagreed with.
Although the rank and file who work in the FBI and DOJ are ethical at the upper levels of both a handful have always been somewhat engaged in political activities based on the way the winds blow in Washington politics.
This is the second case involving NASA in the last few months
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05…
As of two years ago, we were not allowed to act as reviewers of journal articles with PRC authors for fear that any suggested corrections would lead to inadvertent tech transfer. However, if personnel that a university planned to utilize had clear ties to mainland China there was nothing we could do about it. We were told we couldn’t tell the university whom to hire. NASA needs to get its act together to prevent technology transfer that would aid the PLA. .It is the least we owe the sailors we ask to patrol the South China Sea.
“As of two years ago, we were not allowed to act as reviewers of journal articles with PRC authors”
Could you be more specific about that? Who is “we” and what organization’s policy are you referring to? I’ve never heard of a NASA-wide policy of that sort. Is it something at a particular NASA center? Or is it a policy of a NASA contractor who is being overly cautious?
NASA Glenn ( although I thought this was coming down from HQ). I was CS. The grant I was referring to had a graduate student who was an employee of the Shanghai Aircraft factory.