Attorney General Knudsen requests DOJ to investigate China-linked energy activist organizations

HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a 26-state coalition of attorneys general requesting the United States Department of Justice investigate two China-linked climate activist organizations for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires any organization, political party, individual who collects money, or in the interest of a foreign principal to register with U.S. Department of Justice.

In a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg, Attorney General Knudsen stated his concerns with Energy Foundation China (EF-China) and Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) as they have close ties to China but failed to register under FARA. Both groups are registered as U.S. based 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, and are participating in political activities in the United States aimed at destroying the country’s energy sector.

“Montana is a proud energy state, and I will not stand idly by when there are organizations, especially those linked to China, attempting to undermine our energy sector,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “China is our greatest adversary and I’m asking Attorney General Bondi to investigate these organizations to ensure our energy is protected from foreign influence.”

EF-China and CCI appear to be receiving millions of dollars in grants from a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aligned charity in the United Kingdom called the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) making them an agent of foreign principal under FARA. EF-China and CCI spend money they receive from CIFF on litigation, lobbying, and public relations campaigns to attack the U.S. energy sector and promote radical environmental policy pushing anti U.S. oil-and-gas agendas.

Additionally, EF-China has several employees who are CCP members and former Chinese government officials. The organization appears to be primarily located in Beijing where most leadership and staff work. On tax filings, EF-China claims its “headquarters” are in San Francisco, but it’s part of a coworking space within an office building.

Attorneys general from Iowa, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming also joined the lawsuit.

Click here to read the letter.