Biden EPA Appointee Allowed To Retain Ties With University Controlled By Chinese Government
- August 24, 2021
Andrew Kerr, Daily Caller
A high-ranking Environmental Protection Agency political appointee received approval to maintain his professional relationship with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology while serving in the Biden administration, according to documents obtained by a watchdog group.
EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science Policy Dr. Christopher Frey disclosed in his May 11 ethics recusal statement that he had taken a two-year unpaid leave of absence from Hong Kong University following advice by the agency’s Office of General Counsel, records obtained by the watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) show. The ex officio chancellor of the university, Carrie Lam, is also Beijing’s hand-picked bureaucrat to serve as the chief executive of Hong Kong.
“It is difficult to argue that Dr. Frey’s employer is anything short of an arm of the Chinese government,” PPT said in a press release Tuesday. “One can presume from the leave that he plans to return to his employment with the Chinese government upon completing his tenure at EPA.”