Journalist and Son of Texas Politician Accused of Selling Intelligence to Beijing

The man has worked for multiple Chinese state outlets and allegedly taken at least $100,000 from a Chinese intelligence official, according to court filings.

The Department of Justice in Washington on March 11, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

An American journalist and the son of a Texas Republican politician has been charged with acting as a Chinese agent, court records show.

Thomas Pauken II, who has lived in China for more than a decade and worked for multiple Chinese state media outlets, was allegedly paid at least $100,000 for working with an individual within the Ministry of State Security, which is tasked with espionage operations, according to an unsealed affidavit.