House Intel Chief Warns Foreign Actors Conspiring To ‘Sow Discord’ Inside US
President Donald J. Trump is warning that foreign powers are working overtime to undermine his America First trade agenda — and, by extension, the integrity of the 2026 midterm elections — by pressuring the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his signature tariffs. According to the president, such a ruling would not only embolden hostile nations but also force the United States to repay “hundreds of billions of dollars” to foreign governments.
In a detailed post on Truth Social, President Trump made clear what is at stake: “Those opposing us are serving hostile foreign interests that are not aligned with the success, safety, and prosperity of the USA. They couldn’t care less about us. I look so much forward to the United States Supreme Court’s decision on this urgent and time sensitive matter so that we can continue, in an uninterrupted manner to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The president also noted that the true economic impact of his tariff program has not yet been fully realized, largely because foreign suppliers attempted to dodge the fees by stockpiling goods early on. That temporary buffer is ending, he emphasized.
“The full benefit of the Tariffs has not yet been calculated in that many of the buyers of goods and products, in order to avoid paying the Tariffs in the short term, ‘STOCK UP’ by purchasing far more inventory than they can use. That heavy inventory purchase is now, however, wearing thin, and soon Tariffs will be paid on everything they apply to, without avoidance, and the amounts payable to the USA will SKYROCKET, over and above the already historic levels of dollars received,” Trump wrote.
Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, issued his own warning about rising foreign interference — not just in trade, but in the very social fabric of the country.
In an interview with Just the News, Crawford described an increasingly sophisticated network of foreign and domestic actors intent on destabilizing the United States.
“I think there is a whole network of both state and non-state actors that bring that to bear here in the United States, that is to exploit any kind of political divide that might exist, or schisms that may exist, even within a political party,” he said.
“So they kind of help sow discord. We’ve seen malign influence from state actors that include China, Russia, and Iran. But then there’s also the non-state actors that can be doing the bidding of a nation state,” he added.
Crawford warned of scenarios where foreign adversaries deploy cyberattacks or weaponize diaspora communities for political leverage.
“For example, what if you had, let’s say Russia was essentially paying for cyberattacks against certain targets, or that China might be doing the same thing,” he said. “China might be mobilizing the diaspora that lives here in the United States, maybe United States citizens, but they have this underlying allegiance to the mother country and China seeks to exploit that.”
Crawford argued that these hybrid threats demand immediate counterintelligence reforms, praising FBI Director Kash Patel for modernizing the nation’s intelligence posture and urging other agencies to follow suit. He pointed to a recent episode involving Chinese nationals in Michigan as proof that foreign adversaries are shifting tactics and becoming more brazen.
The comments come as the Treasury Department, IRS, and FBI deepen investigations into how foreign networks exploit U.S. tax loopholes to bankroll political unrest and domestic extremism.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick also weighed in this week, expressing confidence that the administration’s case defending its tariffs will prevail at the Supreme Court.
Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria, Lutnick said:
“Tariffs are going to be a part of this administration’s national security and national economic protection of the American people.”
He continued: “We are gonna win the case, it’s pretty clear,” noting that he had attended the oral arguments personally.
If the Court were to rule against the administration, Lutnick stressed that President Trump still holds a wide arsenal of legal tools — including Sections 232, 301, and 338 — that allow the federal government to impose new tariffs or trade restrictions in the name of national security or to counter predatory foreign trade practices.
With foreign adversaries escalating their economic and political interference, the White House says the stakes for America’s future could not be higher.