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Lee was at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport when he was taken down. But his stomping grounds are in Hong Kong.
According to FBI Special Agent Kellie R. O'Brien, he was trained in "methods of covert communications, surveillance detection, recruitment of assets, handling of assets, payment of assets, operational security, and documenting, handling and securing classified information."
Lee held a top-secret clearance. He is said to have had access to sensitive compartmented information. That info was utilized to protect intelligence programs.
There are no specifics in the criminal complaint stating that Lee was spying for China, but it's a good bet he was. The CIA is not commenting on that and neither is the Department of Justice. That pretty much speaks for itself. The arrest appears linked to the ongoing US counterintelligence probe into how the Chinese government systematically crippled CIA agent networks inside China. The Chinese have been killing off CIA informants and that is probably linked to Lee's activities.
In May, the New York Times reported the Chinese government had unraveled all CIA spying operations in China beginning in 2010. The report, quoting intelligence officials, suggested the loss of the agents was the result of a retired Chinese-American CIA officer who spied for China.
Because of the betrayal, China eliminated between 18 and 20 CIA sources in China.
"Some investigators believed he had become disgruntled and had begun spying for China," the Times reported. "One official said the man had access to the identities of CIA informants and fit all the indicators on a matrix used to identify espionage threats." Lee was in court this week in New York City and was charged with unlawful retention of national defense information. If convicted, he can get up to ten years in prison.
Officials familiar with the case say it is unlikely that Lee will be charged with espionage, which can carry the death penalty. It may be that the government doesn't have the proof required for such a charge, or that it doesn't want to air secrets in an open courtroom.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Neil Hammerstrom of the Eastern District of Virginia.
"Recently I've been made aware of what I believe to be credible evidence regarding potential terrorist infiltration through the southern border regarding this incident... Twice before the attack ISIS warned the United States they would attack Las Vegas. In June and August. And then after the attack claimed responsibility four times... Something's not adding up... I'm just telling you I have received what I feel to be and believe to be credible evidence of a possible terrorist nexus..."As TFTP noted in October, the day after the shooting, the Islamic State immediately claimed responsibility for the violence.
"I think that this will not end just with firings. I believe there are people who will go to jail," Gaetz told host Sean Hannity. "I was very persuaded by the evidence, and it also became clear to me why Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham felt it so important to refer this matter for criminal prosecution. You don't get to try to undermine our country, undermine our elections and then simply get fired. So, I think there will be criminal implications here, and we have to underscore the point that you and Jim Jordan just made. Every single Democrat on the intelligence committee voted against even allowing other members of Congress to see this information, so you know they're going to fight against release to the American people."
"What are the Democrats so afraid of? Why don't they want the American people to know the truth about what was going on with the government, how that impacted the president, his transition, his campaign and it just seems interesting to me that Democrats don't want us to know what the entire basis was in the first place for the Mueller probe they want to drag this out through the midterm elections to try to embarrass this president and distract this Congress from the critical work we have to do to save this great country."

Comment: The respect for the sanctity of diplomatic immunity and intra-country relations may be callously forsaken when, in the balance, it involves the slimmest possibility of sabotaging an American president and his diplomatic corps with financial information that has no relevance to the administration.