Capital District Times

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has expressed strong criticism regarding a lawsuit filed by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch against the United States Department of Defense. The lawsuit aims to remove DJI, a Chinese drone company, from the DoD's list of Chinese Military Companies.

Stefanik stated, "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." She further alleged that the lawsuit is filled with factual inaccuracies and described it as an attempt by DJI to divert attention from recent issues concerning their imports being halted due to concerns over Uyghur slave labor.

The Congresswoman emphasized that DJI's presence in the U.S. is diminishing and declared that Lynch's legal actions would not succeed in reversing this trend. "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," she added.

The Department of Defense has repeatedly identified DJI as a national security risk. In August 2017, the U.S. Army stopped using all DJI drones due to cyber vulnerability concerns. By July 2021, the DoD reiterated that DJI systems posed a threat to national security. In October 2022, DJI was included in the DoD's 1260H Chinese Military Company list for its involvement in advancing China's military modernization efforts. This classification was reaffirmed in January 2024.