Free Republic

A Chinese businesswoman who was convicted of trespassing at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida earlier this year had been urged by her handler to target other famous figures including the Clintons and billionaire businessman Warren Buffett, court documents say. Yujing Zhang, 33, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 22, was caught by Secret Service agents with troves of technology embedded with malware and thousands of dollars in cash after she claimed that she was at Trump's prestigious club to attend a “United Nations friendship event” that had apparently been canceled. Her bizarre behavior and backstory led to...

Yujing Zhang, the Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's private Florida club, earlier this year, has been found guilty on counts of unlawfully entering a restricted building and making false statements to a federal officer. Prosecutors called nine witnesses in a trial that lasted two days. Zhang chose to represent herself during the trial with assistance from the Federal Public Defender's office and court-appointed translators. Zhang faces up to six years in prison. She will be sentenced in late November.

Yujing Zhang stalled jury selection after appearing in court dressed in a brown jumpsuit instead of civilian clothes, claiming she wasn’t given any underwear. Dressing defendants in civilian clothing is common practice during trials to prevent jury prejudice. The 33-year-old Shanghai business consultant was eventually taken to a holding cell, where she changed into a blouse and khaki pants that were found in her hotel room after Secret Service agents arrested her at the Florida club in March. Zhang fired her public defenders in June against the recommendation of U.S. District Judge Roy Altman in order to represent herself with...

The Chinese national who bluffed her way past two Secret Service details at President Trump’s Mar-a-Largo resort was carrying a thumb drive loaded with malware and a trove of other spy gear, authorities said Monday. Now the FBI is investigating whether Yujing Zhang, 33, is an agent of the Chinese government. “She lies to everyone she encounters,” Assistant US Attorney Rolando Garcia said during Zhang’s bond hearing Monday. “Her ties are all in China.’’ Zhang was busted at Mar-a-Largo on March 30, after giving conflicting reasons for being there during one of Trump’s routine weekend visits, officials said. The president...

President Trump moved to replace the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, a day after forcing the resignation of its secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, as he accelerated a purge of the nation’s immigration and security leadership. The White House announced the departure of Randolph D. Alles, the director of the Secret Service, who had fallen out of favor with the president even before a security breach at his Mar-a-Lago club that the agency effectively blamed on Mr. Trump’s employees. Government officials, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel changes before they were announced, said at least...

A US Secret Service agent inserted a USB drive infected with "malicious malware" into his laptop after the hardware was confiscated from a Chinese woman who was arrested late last month after attempting to gain entry to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Agent Samuel Ivanovich testified in court on Monday that he put the thumb drive into his own computer, and it began installing files in a "very out-of-the-ordinary" way. He quickly stopped his analysis of the drive, the Miami Herald reported.

Trump is removing US Secret Service director United States Secret Service director Randolph “Tex” Alles is being removed from his position, multiple administration officials tell CNN. President Donald Trump instructed his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to fire Alles. Alles remains in his position as of now but has been asked to leave. The Secret Service director reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned on Sunday amid growing pressure from the President. The director oversees the Secret Service’s work on both protection and investigations. “There is a near-systematic purge happening at the nation’s second-largest...

The director of the U.S. Secret Service is leaving his position, NBC News confirmed on Monday. USSS Director Randolph Alles, a retired Marine Corps major general who was appointed two years ago, is on his way out the door just the day after the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, resigned under pressure on Sunday night. Alles reported to her. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that President Donald Trump "has selected James M. Murray, a career member of the USSS, to take over as director beginning in May." More ousters of agency...

Secret Service Director Randolph Alles is leaving his position, according to several reports on Monday. The move comes after a series of leadership changes in the security branch of the Trump administration, including the resignation of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and the decision to withdraw Ronald Vitiello as his nominee for director of ICE. The decision to force out Alles comes just days after a woman was arrested at the president’s Mar-a-Lago club with Chinese passports and computer and cell phone malware after she made it past a checkpoint.

United States Secret Service director Randolph "Tex" Alles is being removed from his position, multiple administration officials tell CNN. President Donald Trump instructed his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to fire Alles. Alles remains in his position as of now but has been asked to leave. The Secret Service director reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned on Sunday amid growing pressure from the President. The director oversees the Secret Service's work on both protection and investigations. "There is a near-systematic purge happening at the nation's second-largest national security agency," this official says. United...

Secret Service Director Randolph Alles has reportedly been fired by President Trump after a Chinese woman carrying malware and hard drives made her way into Mar-a-Lago two weeks ago. BREAKING: White House says Secret Service Director Randolph Alles to leave post shortly pic.twitter.com/02EAOJZBGu— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 8, 2019 More on the breach from CBS Miami:  A Chinese woman accused of illegally entering President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club with a flash drive containing malware, also had numerous electronic devices and thousands in cash stashed in her hotel room. That from federal prosecutors Monday at Yujing Zhang’s detention hearing in...

Yujing Zhang, the woman who allegedly breached security at President Donald Trump's private Florida club while carrying Chinese passports and a flash drive containing malware late last month, had a signal detector, other electronic devices and thousands of dollars in cash in her hotel room, federal prosecutors said Monday. Zhang is appearing at a detention hearing in a Florida federal court, and prosecutors are outlining their case as to why Zhang is a flight risk after allgedly attempting to enter Mar-a-Lago. "She lies to everyone she encounters," and has no ties to the US, prosecutor Rolando Garcia said. "Her ties...

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that the recent arrest of Yujing Zhang, the woman who allegedly breached security at President Donald Trump's private Florida club while carrying Chinese passports and a flash drive containing malware, is an example of the threat Beijing poses to the US. Pompeo declined to provide additional details related to that claim during the interview on "CBS This Morning," but did say, "I think this tells the American people the threat that China poses, the efforts they're making inside the United States, not only against government officials but more broadly." CNN reported on Wednesday...

Federal prosecutors filed charges Monday against a woman carrying Chinese passports whom they allege illegally entered President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in late March. The woman, Yujing Zhang, initially gained access to the property on March 30 through a miscommunication with members of Mar-a-Lago security, according to the complaint. Trump was staying at Mar-a-Lago on that date, though he was not on the property at the time Zhang's alleged visit occurred. After she was detained, US Secret Service agents searched multiple electronic devices she was carrying, including four cell phones, a laptop computer, an external "hard drive type"...

A woman carrying two Chinese passports and a device containing computer malware lied to Secret Service agents and briefly gained admission to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club over the weekend during his Florida visit, federal prosecutors allege in court documents. Yujing Zhang, 32, approached a Secret Service agent at a checkpoint outside the Palm Beach club early Saturday afternoon and said she was a member who wanted to use the pool, court documents said. She showed the passports as identification. Agents say she wasn’t on the membership list, but a club manager thought Zhang was the daughter of a member....

A 32-year-old Chinese woman, who said she wanted to talk to President Trump’s family about economic relations between the United States and her home country, lied her way into Mar-a-Lago over the weekend before she was arrested, U.S. Secret Service agents said. Yujing Zhang, who said she was sent by a fellow Chinese national named Charles, was charged with making false statements to a federal officer and entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds. She appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday and a public defender was appointed to represent her. She is to return to court next...