A U.S. State Department foreign service officer has been terminated after concealing a romantic relationship with the daughter of a Chinese Communist Party official, the first dismissal under a Trump administration executive order aimed at strengthening diplomatic accountability.
Daniel Choi was fired following an internal review ordered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and approved by President Donald Trump. The action followed the release of undercover footage recorded by O’Keefe Media Group in which Choi acknowledged deliberately withholding details of the relationship from State Department security officials.
In the recorded conversation, Choi admitted that his girlfriend’s father held a position within the Chinese Communist Party and acknowledged she “could have been a spy.” He told the undercover journalist he had violated security protocols by failing to report close personal contact with a foreign national linked to a hostile government.
“I defied my government for love,” Choi said in the footage. The State Department confirmed that Choi breached long-standing security requirements mandating immediate disclosure of “close and continuing contact” with individuals connected to hostile governments.
The case highlights growing concern among U.S. intelligence agencies about Chinese espionage efforts that target American officials through personal relationships. A former senior intelligence official said romantic and social connections remain “one of the most exploited vectors in Chinese espionage,” noting that unreported relationships create significant vulnerabilities.
Counterintelligence experts have long warned that Beijing systematically uses romantic entanglements, financial incentives and academic ties to obtain sensitive information from U.S. personnel. Since taking office, Secretary Rubio has pursued a more aggressive approach to countering Chinese influence, tightening vetting of foreign contacts and expanding background checks for officers assigned to East Asia and Washington-based policy positions.
The State Department said Choi’s termination underscores that no official is exempt from security standards.
