Republican and Democratic politicians have called on the Trump administration to bar American citizens and businesses from supporting Chinese and Russian civilian intelligence and security agencies, Reuters reports.
Congress approved a law in 2018 banning Americans from providing support to foreign military intelligence agencies but leaving the door open to such aid for similar civilian-led organisations. In 2019, Reuters revealed the United Arab Emirates had hired over a dozen former US intelligence operatives to hack dissidents, journalists, and Americans.
Rules implementing a 2022 congressional measure to bolster controls have not yet been finalised, leaving “glaring loopholes that harm US national security and foreign policy interests,” Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican John Cornyn wrote in a letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
