Former U.S. Officials Offer A Look Inside China's Intel Community

Former government officials tell Newsy that China's intelligence often conforms to political framing, and there is no system of checks and balances.

With Vladimir Putin's war still raging in Ukraine, U.S. officials fear China will follow suit, by one day invading the self-ruled island of Taiwan and triggering another war. They want to know what China is learning from the battle for Ukraine and whether Xi Jinping is getting accurate intelligence.

"The lack of an independent intelligence community significantly worsened Putin's decision making in Ukraine," Sen. Jim Inhofe said. "What is President Xi in China learning about his intel community?"

"I think it's a really interesting question," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines responded. "I'd prefer to answer it in closed session. Would that be alright, sir?"