A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday titled "Trojan Horses: Covert Foreign Malign Influence Operations in America," expanding congressional scrutiny of foreign influence beyond financial investigations. The hearing will examine how nonprofits and activist networks may be used as conduits for foreign adversaries to undermine U.S. interests.
Sam Lyman, research chief at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, is slated to testify, likening social media to a "gain-of-function for mind viruses" incubated overseas that find their way to the United States. Lyman, a former advisor to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, emphasized the increased vectors for foreign influence due to social media.
Expanding Scrutiny Beyond Financial Ties
The hearing, named after the mythological Greek stratagem, is expected to scrutinize influence from countries including China and Cuba, as well as pro-Palestinian groups. This initiative broadens the scope of congressional inquiry, which has already seen the House Ways and Means Committee subpoenaing nonprofits within a network funded by American-born tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who is based in Shanghai.
Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and another scheduled witness, stated that adversaries like China and Cuba, along with non-government organizations promoting Islamism and even friendly nations like Mexico, exploit the open nature of American society. He asserted that foreign influence permeates various sectors, including education, higher education institutions, government agencies, lobbying firms, and museums.
Previous investigations into foreign malign influence have been conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the House Oversight Committee, and the House Select Committee on China. The House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, which oversees the State Department's Office of Public Diplomacy, aims to address the national security implications of foreign governments potentially exploiting the U.S. political system and nonprofit sector. Earlier this year, the Office of Public Diplomacy provided the subcommittee with a report detailing foreign "vectors" of influence within the U.S.
A March investigation by Fox News Digital mapped hundreds of transactions totaling millions of dollars across continents, linking organizations within the Singham network to pushes for pro-China and anti-American propaganda. The investigation documented significant funding from Singham to several pro-China and pro-communist nonprofit organizations.
The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating alleged financial crimes connected to Singham and the nonprofits he funded, with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York opening a grand jury investigation. Singham and the organizations have denied taking direction from the Chinese government and have not been charged with crimes.
Witnesses and Focus Areas
Scheduled witnesses for the hearing include Gonzalez, who is expected to discuss Cuba's alleged influence network in the U.S., describing the island nation as a "ground zero for anti-American revolutionary organizing in the Western Hemisphere." Gonzalez has written about the overlap between U.S. organizations supporting Cuba and the Singham network, noting groups like CodePink and the People's Forum.
Matthew Johnson, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation specializing in the Chinese Communist Party's politics, technology policy, and propaganda, will also testify, bringing expertise on Beijing's strategies. The third witness, Lyman, has researched campaigns targeting U.S. artificial intelligence and data-center infrastructure, identifying the Singham network and the Party for Socialism and Liberation as key forces in protests against such facilities. His research indicated that a significant amount of proposed AI and data-center investment had been delayed or blocked in campaigns where these groups were active.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith has described some of the organizations as part of a "foreign-aligned influence network" and is investigating whether tax-exempt groups are acting as agents for foreign interests. The committee has subpoenaed the People's Forum, Tricontinental, and BreakThrough BT Media for records regarding their funding, foreign contacts, and relationships with Singham. These organizations have reportedly declined to produce documents, calling the investigation a "witch hunt."