In a major national security development, a 33-year-old Chinese national has been arrested in Italy at the request of U.S. authorities for allegedly stealing American COVID-19 research under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. The Department of Justice announced the arrest Tuesday, linking it to a broader campaign by the Chinese regime to exploit the pandemic for strategic gain.

Xu Zewei, the alleged hacker, is accused of targeting U.S. universities and medical researchers working on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics from February 2020 through June 2021—precisely when the United States was racing to contain the virus and save lives. Xu’s arrest, along with his co-conspirator Zhang Yu, took place in Italy on July 3. Both now face a nine-count indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Texas.

According to the DOJ, Xu acted at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, specifically the Shanghai State Security Bureau—a key component in Beijing’s cyber-espionage strategy. The DOJ emphasized that this case represents yet another example of the Chinese Communist Party’s use of shell companies and private contractors to mask state-sponsored attacks on American interests.

“The announcement of charges against Xu is the latest describing the PRC’s use of an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information,” the DOJ stated.

The arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of Beijing’s role in the global pandemic, which originated in China and has resulted in millions of deaths and global economic devastation. With China still stonewalling efforts to investigate the virus’s true origins, this latest case raises fresh concerns about how the CCP has weaponized the pandemic to undermine the West while protecting its own geopolitical ambitions.

But the Biden administration’s China problem isn’t the only intelligence scandal unraveling. New DOJ leaks confirm that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation for possible false statements to Congress and misconduct related to the discredited Trump–Russia probe.

According to Fox News Digital, multiple DOJ sources confirmed the investigations are active and wide-ranging. In fact, the FBI is reportedly treating their actions as a potential “conspiracy”, a designation that could open the door to more serious charges and broader implications.

The probe into Brennan was reportedly triggered by a referral from current CIA Director John Ratcliffe to FBI Director Kash Patel. The evidence stems from newly declassified documents examining the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA)—the same report that falsely claimed Russia interfered in the 2016 election specifically to help then-candidate Donald Trump.

The CIA’s own internal “lessons learned” review concluded that the ICA was politically tainted, rushed, and compromised by Obama-era appointees. Specifically, it found that Brennan personally pushed for the inclusion of the now-debunked Steele Dossier, a Democrat-funded opposition research smear piece filled with falsehoods about Trump.

Brennan’s public testimony in 2023 directly contradicts newly declassified evidence. In sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, Brennan claimed he opposed including the dossier. But a 2016 email from his deputy warned him that including it would “jeopardize the credibility of the entire paper.” Brennan went ahead anyway.

Meanwhile, Comey is also under investigation, though DOJ officials have not yet disclosed the scope. Sources indicate the probe could also involve false statements or abuse of power tied to FISA warrants and other procedural violations during the Russia probe.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded forcefully, declaring, “President Trump was right — again. Those who engaged in this political scandal must be held accountable for the fraud they committed against President Trump and the lies they told to the American people.”

The DOJ's twin track—exposing foreign threats like Chinese cyberattacks while finally probing Obama-era abuses—shows a Justice Department under renewed pressure to restore public trust and hold both foreign adversaries and domestic political operatives accountable.