American journalist pleads guilty to acting as unregistered agent for China
Baku, June 5, AZERTAC
An American who worked as an editor and commentator for state-run media in China, Thomas Pauken II, pleaded guilty Thursday to working as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government in the U.S, according to Politico.
During a roughly 40-minute hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, Pauken, 51, told U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema he was unaware of the legal requirement to register before acting for a foreign government, but he also said he understood that his lack of knowledge was not a defense to the charge. The hearing shed no light on one of the mysteries of Pauken’s case: the identity of a Trump administration official Pauken helped connect to a Chinese government contact Pauken knew as “Cathy.” That U.S. official, described as “Person 1” in court filings, was still working in the government as of February, according to an affidavit an FBI agent filed in support of the criminal case.
The agent alleged that Pauken gave a cell phone and a laptop to the administration official while believing there was about an 80 percent chance that person would share classified information with “Cathy,” although Pauken told the FBI he discouraged the U.S. official from doing so. As POLITICO first reported, the affidavit suggests Pauken took part in an FBI-monitored sting operation involving the official at a Washington hotel in February, shortly before Pauken’s arrest. Justice Department and intelligence community spokespeople have declined to comment on whether “Person 1” still works for the administration or is facing any consequences.
As Pauken stood in a dark green jail jumpsuit and responded to Brinkema’s questions, he referred to one of the documents on the courtroom lectern as a “cooperation agreement.” The judge quickly cut in, saying: “We’ll strike that word.” She later sealed the hearing for about five minutes, ejecting reporters and other observers unconnected to the case. There was no further public reference to cooperation, but at a bail hearing in March a prosecutor said Pauken signed a nondisclosure agreement with the FBI in 2025 and later violated it by telling the Chinese about the FBI’s interest in him.
After Brinkema said Pauken was admitting that he’d “provided information or intelligence about the U.S. to the Chinese government,” Pauken’s lawyer Charles Burnham stressed that his client wasn’t acknowledging that he provided any classified information to Chinese officials. The judge said that was correct, but that Pauken did provide some information to China that wasn’t public. “There’s a gray zone in between,” added Brinkema, a Clinton appointee.
Under the plea agreement, Pauken — who lived in China for the past decade and a half — must refrain from contact with any foreign intelligence agent or officials without FBI permission, Brinkema said. Burnham handed reporters a statement after the hearing saying that Pauken “accepted responsibility” for working for China “without first completing certain required U.S. government forms.” The attorney also said Pauken was trying to “promote peaceful relations and advance the cause of religious freedom in China.” Pauken’s sentencing is set for Sept. 1. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison.
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