State Dept Fires Officer for Concealed Romantic Chinese National

The State Department on Wednesday fired a Foreign Service officer who admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national alleged to have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, marking what officials said is the first known dismissal tied to recent restrictions on such relationships. The department said the action followed a review by President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and that the officer was removed after acknowledging the relationship on camera.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the officer, whose name was not released, had admitted concealing the relationship and had been featured in a surreptitiously filmed video posted online. Pigott said the officer told the camera the Chinese woman could have been a spy, but the department has not presented evidence of espionage. The officer also said the woman’s father was a member of the Communist Party, Pigott said.

The dismissal is believed to be the first enforcement of a ban on romantic or sexual relationships between U.S. government personnel stationed in China and Chinese nationals that was introduced late last year by the previous administration. The department also characterized the...