Republican lawmakers are raising security concerns about drones provided by Chinese company Da Jiang Innovations being used by law enforcement and public safety agencies throughout the United States.
In a letter to Chris Krebs, director of the Homeland Security Department’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee asked for information about how state and local law enforcement use the devices to help against the coronavirus pandemic.
The letter is signed by 14 Republicans, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, and Jim Sensenbrenner.
As part of a disaster relief program to equip local law enforcement and public safety agencies in the U.S. with high-end technology for their operations during the spread of COVID-19, Da Jiang Innovations distributed 100 drones to 45 police, fire, and public safety organizations in 22 states.
The lawmakers noted in their letter that federal law enforcement agencies have warned of potential information security concerns with DJI drones, and said “it is not clear whether state and local law enforcement agencies are fully aware of these issues.”
They asked DHS to explain its role in providing technological assistance and guidance to agencies that have purchased or received products from Da Jiang Innovations; divulge whether the department has issued any alerts since one in May 2019 warning of the Chinese-made drones and, if so, to provide the committee with information and documents regarding the alert; and reveal whether the department is monitoring Da Jiang Innovations’s recent gifting of drones during the pandemic and what actions, if any, they are taking in response.
The Republicans asked the information be provided to them by 5 p.m. on May 27. The letter was copied to Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Another letter was sent to the Justice Department addressed to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine Sullivan.
The letter to the Justice Department asked for a list of all state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies that have received federal funding to purchase and operate Da Jiang Innovations drones from Jan. 1, 2017, to the present. The Republicans also asked the Justice Department to explain what policies and procedures grant recipients have to have in place to receive federal support to purchases or operate the drones, including restrictions and exemptions that may apply; whether concerns about the drones have risen during Departmentwide drone working group activities since Jan 1, 2017; and whether the department is monitoring Da Jiang Innovations’s recent gifting and what actions, if any, they are taking in response.
The Republicans gave the same May 27 deadline for the Justice Department.
The Washington Examiner reached out to several Democratic lawmakers for comment.
Da Jiang Innovations has responded to claims of spying, claiming to have no ulterior motive in distributing its drones to state and local law agencies within the U.S.
“Some people are trying to score ideological points by discouraging the use of important equipment and tools that save lives and protect American first responders,” Da Jiang Innovations spokesman Adam Lisberg told Fox News.
Gaetz recently sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting the drones be grounded over concerns that they may be sharing information with the Chinese government. The Florida Republican wrote that there are considerable national security threats that may come with using the drones.
Several U.S. authorities have banned Da Jiang Innovations drones, such as the U.S. Army and the Interior Department, over those suspicions.
