Saratoga, N.Y. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement on Barack Obama’s former Attorney General suing the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on behalf of Communist Chinese drone company DJI in an attempt to remove DJI from the DoD’s list of Chinese Military Companies.

“Barack Obama’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has turned her back on her nation, selling out to our greatest adversary Communist China and suing the United States on behalf of CCP-owned drone company DJI. Not only is her lawsuit full of factual errors, it is also an obvious effort by DJI to distract from CBP’s recent halting of DJI imports due to Uyghur slave labor concerns and a futile attempt to disrupt the momentum behind my unanimously passed Countering CCP Drones Act. DJI’s time in the United States is rightfully coming to an end and Loretta Lynch’s sham lawsuit is not going to save them.”

The U.S. Department of Defense has certified multiple times that DJI presents legitimate national security risks and is a Chinese Military Company.

  • In August 2017, the U.S. Army halted the use of all DJI drones citing a risk of increased cyber vulnerabilities. 
  • In July 2021, the Department of Defense stated that DJI systems pose a threat to U.S. national security and that mitigating the threats posed by DJI is a priority for the Department.
  • In October 2022, DJI was added to the Department of Defense’s 1260H Chinese Military Company list because of DJI’s role in advancing the modernization efforts of the People’s Liberation Army. 
  • In January 2024, the Department of Defense recertified DJI on its 1260H Chinese Military Company list.
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