President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural team will return the donation from former Sen. Barbara Boxer after she registered as a foreign agent for a Chinese surveillance firm.

Sen. Barbara Boxer
President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural team will return the donation from former Sen. Barbara Boxer after she registered as a foreign agent for a Chinese surveillance firm. Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Biden's Inaugural Committee Will Return $500 Donation

Former Senator Barbara Boxer donated an amount of $500 for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. But the inaugural committee decided to return her donation after they found out that she registered as a foreign agent for a Chinese surveillance firm.

According to a report in Axios, the firm was accused of abetting the country's mass internment of Uighur Muslims.

This shows that the incoming administration will try to balance its sweeping ethics commitments with K Street's efforts to enlist high-profile Democrats to advance clients' interests in Biden's Washington.

Former Senator Works in a Chinese Surveillance Firm

According to SFGATE, former Senator Barbara Boxer provides strategic consulting services to the subsidiary of the Chinese surveillance firm in the United States named Hikivision, as per Justice Department documents on Friday.

It can be remembered that Hikivision was banned from doing business with the firms in the United States in 2019.

Pres. Trump and his administration also accused the Chinese firm of having ties to the Chinese military which might compromise national security.

Former Senator Released Her Statement

In response to the matter, former senator Barbara Boxer said, "When I am asked to provide strategic advice to help a company operate in a more responsible and humane manner consistent with U.S. law in spirit and letter, it is an opportunity to make things better while helping protect and create American jobs."

However, her ties with the Chinese surveillance firm led Biden's inaugural committee to return her donation.

It can be remembered that Pres. Joe Biden said during his presidential campaign that the internment of Uighur Muslims is one of the worst human rights abuses in the world today.

In November 2019, Biden tweeted, "The U.S. cannot be silent - we must speak out against this oppression and relentlessly defend human rights around the world."

The Donation Violated the Inaugural Committee's Policy

The spokesperson for the committee confirmed to a news outlet that they will return the $500 donation of former Sen. Barbara Boxer.

The inaugural committee's spokesperson said that Barbara's contribution violated the committee's policy against accepting contributions from registered foreign agents.

President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural committee spokesperson also clarified that Sen. Barbara's donation was made out of her volition and was not solicited by the inaugural committee.

Boxer worked with President-elect Joe Biden in the House of Senate for more than two decades. She even showed her support during the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, but this does not mean that she will also receive the same appreciation from the committee.

Boxer is the latest former Democrat lawmaker with reported ties to agents of the Chinese government.

Rep. Eric Swalwell had close ties to a suspected Chinese spy who was sent to gain influence with young, up-and-coming American politicians, according to a published article in December.