{"id":2653357,"date":"2026-09-02T02:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T06:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-political-commentator-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison-for-working-as-chinese-agent\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T02:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T06:24:13","slug":"us-political-commentator-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison-for-working-as-chinese-agent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-political-commentator-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison-for-working-as-chinese-agent\/","title":{"rendered":"US political commentator sentenced to two years in prison for working as Chinese agent"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-political-commentator-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison-for-working-as-chinese-agent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2653357&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Thomas Pauken II, an American-born journalist and political commentator who has lived in China since 2010, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. He was arrested in February after returning to Washington, D.C., and was found to have sought to bribe a person seeking a government job, offering money and a SIM card to produce reports for chinese President Xi Jinping. Court documents revealed that Pauken provided confidential facts and reports to Chinese officials, working under the direction of Chinese intelligence, including facilitating meetings with potential assets and supplying interaction devices. Federal authorities described his activities as significant threats to U.S. national security, illustrating China&#8217;s efforts to undermine American institutions. Pauken also sold sensitive information to Chinese agents from Wuhan,including technology and government-related data,and sought assistance in cyber espionage.The Justice Department highlighted his betrayal of his country for money, emphasizing the ongoing vigilance needed to counter Chinese espionage efforts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/25\/american-journalist-unregistered-agent-china-00935518\">Thomas Pauken II<\/a>, a journalist and political commentator originally from the United States, was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after it was discovered he acted as \u201can agent of a foreign government\u201d while in the country. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pauken has lived in China since 2010, working for several state media organizations in the communist country. He was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/25\/american-journalist-unregistered-agent-china-00935518\">arrested<\/a> in February after arriving in Washington, D.C., from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\">China<\/a>, and was planning to meet with a person who was seeking a job in the Trump administration. An affidavit <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-illegal-agent-fbi-journalist-a788684d3b2fd20478f66cb179b69ad0\">revealed<\/a> that Pauken sought to bribe that person, offering them a SIM card and $10,000 to prepare reports to be sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4709152\/us-political-commentator-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison-for-working-as-chinese-agent\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US political commentator sentenced to two years in prison for working as Chinese agent<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4708864\/former-president-turned-amateur-artist-george-w-bush-debuting-new-paintings-for-9-11-remembrance\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Former president-turned-amateur artist George W. Bush debuting new paintings for 9\/11 remembrance<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4708607\/jeffries-blindsided-two-house-democrats-join-gop-force-vote-denouncing-socialism\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jeffries blindsided after two House Democrats join GOP to force vote on denouncing socialism<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June, he pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government. He was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said. Pauken will also be <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/american-citizen-who-worked-agent-prc-sentenced-two-years-prison\" rel=\"noopener\">prohibited<\/a> from overseas travel due to \u201cacting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FBI\u2019s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division described Pauken\u2019s plans to pass along vital and confidential information about the U.S. to Chinese government officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThomas Pauken admitted to working at the direction of China\u2019s Ministry of State Security to attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles while also providing new recruitment targets for his Chinese handlers,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/american-citizen-who-worked-agent-prc-sentenced-two-years-prison\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI\u2019s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. \u201cThis case illustrates the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions, and it also demonstrates the FBI\u2019s resolve to defend the homeland from threats to our national security. The sentencing provides a clear warning: anyone operating as an agent of a foreign government against the U.S. will be found by the FBI and held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pauken <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/25\/american-journalist-unregistered-agent-china-00935518\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> the 2019 book <em>U.S. vs. China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal<\/em>, which detailed ways to present a \u201cneutral and balanced perspective\u201d on trade relations between the U.S. and China. He is also the son of former Reagan presidential administration official and Texas Republican Party chair Tom Pauken. In his writings, the younger Pauken <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/25\/american-journalist-unregistered-agent-china-00935518\" rel=\"noopener\">used<\/a> the pseudonym Tom McGregor at the request of his father to avoid linking the elder Pauken to his son\u2019s activities with China, according to <em>Politico<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Court documents revealed the extent of Pauken\u2019s work in aiding the Chinese government, the Justice Department reported. Between 2017 and 2026, he provided reports believed to have been distributed to Chinese government officials, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPauken worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC, including a person he met in 2017 identified as \u2018Cathy,\u2019\u201d read a Justice Department press release. \u201cCathy provided Pauken with taskings, including meeting with potential intelligence assets, providing them with devices such as a laptop and cellphone to communicate with Cathy, providing taskings for the assets on what information was required, and providing Cathy with reports from the assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4707999\/us-new-strikes-iran-irgc-attacks-service-members\/\">US CARRIES OUT NEW STRIKES AGAINST IRAN FOLLOWING ATTACKS ON US SERVICE MEMBERS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also sold information to Chinese representatives from Wuhan who were seeking sensitive information about government affairs, including \u201ctechnology and the U.S. Department of Justice.\u201d Additionally, the Wuhan representatives wanted Pauken to \u201c find an expert to help them engage in cyber espionage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPauken exploited his U.S. citizenship and corresponding ability to travel to the U.S. without restriction in order to support Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) operations, recruiting, and gathering of sensitive information from potential assets,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. \u201cPauken betrayed his country for money. The National Security Division is committed to holding accountable anyone who aids or abets Chinese espionage efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US journalist Thomas Pauken II jailed for acting as Chinese agent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2653358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26174422113279.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33740,12646,5894,37445],"class_list":["post-2653357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-court-ruling","tag-espionage","tag-politics","tag-us-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26174422113279.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2653357"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2653361,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653357\/revisions\/2653361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2653357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2653357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2653357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}