OPINION: Why did Mainstream News and Rep. Jim Costa Ignore Illegal Reedley Biolab?

December 2022, two blocks away from where I attended high school and 10 minutes from where my mother lives, a routine inspection led to the discovery of an illegal biolab in Reedley, CA. The unauthorized lab operated in unsanitary conditions, conducting lab work involving infectious diseases, including COVID-19, malaria, HIV, and hepatitis. The lab was operated by Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese citizen linked to government-affiliated companies and who received large unexplained money transfers from People’s Republic of China (PRC) bank accounts, amounting to over $2 million. 

Instead of reconciling with that real national security threat, the people of California, like UC Berkeley professor Lok Siu, were more concerned with telling us that; we are racist to assume this “chinese-owned business” was associated with China. Ignoring, of course, the real ties the individual had to the PRC. Instead of prioritizing the health and safety of Reedley, the Valley, and the Country, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) refused to test unlabeled vials and vials labeled in a mix of mandarin and english code. The mainstream news either didn’t cover it or, like the Associated Press, labeled any speculation of the possible danger as “conspiracy theory.” Speculation is only required because, again, the CDC refused to test for exactly what the PRC was bringing into California.

The nation is in danger. The insider-threat is California. 

While the United States Military war-games for war with China in 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed and paraded in San Francisco to the cheers of hundreds waving the flags of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While the U.S. Navy is operating in the South China Sea, in the name of deterrence, the CCP is threatening and demanding the loyalty of U.S. citizens with threats to individuals’ families living in China.            

This weak and feckless accommodation of the CCP is an exclusive trait of the Democrats. California has developed into a threat for the rest of the nation specifically because it is a Democrat strong-hold. The Cold War never ended, at least not for the Communists living on our soil. They are still here, subverting this nation.   

That brings me to Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno – the man that allowed what could have been a bio-weapon release point, develop in his district. In the latest James O’Keefe Media Group hidden camera sting, Costa’s district representative, Daniel Sepulveda, discusses prior knowledge of the lab as well as a secret recording that reportedly shows a person associated with the lab saying its operation was benefiting the Chinese government. Whether this representative was accurate or not, doesn’t matter. Either Costa was a willing agent to help the CCP, or he is completely ignorant and incapable of countering that threat. Either scenario is disqualifying for the position. 

Costa has the gall to call himself a “Blue Dog” Democrat and is co-chair of the Congressional Blue Dog Coalition. I learned what a “Blue Dog” was in a highschool history class. It has been over two decades since labeling yourself a conservative Democrat focused on fiscal stability and national security has been relevant. There is no such thing in a moderate Democrat. Democrats are the party of extremists:

• Safe, legal and rare became as many abortions as possible up to and including birth.
• Support for the needy became unsustainable welfare and the worst homeless crisis ever seen.
• Gay marriage became burlesque drag shows for kids. 
• Reducing incarcerations became legalizing theft and lawlessness.
• Compassion for migrants became open and unsecured borders.
• Normalized trade with China became complete submission to China

Congressman Jim Costa can call himself a Blue Dog Democrat to separate himself from all of the above for moderate Fresno voters, but he can never be separated from what has become the Democrats National Committee (DNC) platform. Democrats vote on the party line and Costa is a servant of it.

Fresno County leaders, with Costa’s support, responded to the bio lab by passing the “Infections Materials Ordinance,”designed to monitor privately run labs to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The ordinance mandates annual inspections for labs handling hazardous materials. You may ask “How does inspecting all the labs we already know about help stop a secret lab we only found by accident?” It doesn’t. 

Democrats will never be able to address this incident because it would require being honest about the open southern border where over 24,000 Chinese Citizens entered in the past year. They brought fentanyl to kill American citizens and well as whatever was in those vials the CDC refused to test in Reedley. Any serious person can see the security threat the open border causes. Jim Costa cannot be that serious person because the DNC would never allow it. He cannot solve the problems Fresno faces. 

To the people of Fresno County: Vote Jim Costa out in 2024. Reedley was unacceptable and can never happen again. 

The Republican challenger Michael Maher is a Navy Veteran, business owner, and former FBI Special Agent. I agree with California State Senator Shannon Grove when she said “with threats from China and others at our northern and southern border, and the expansion of fentanyl trafficking, Michael Maher’s national security and law enforcement expertise…will ensure our nation stands strong in an increasingly dangerous world.” 

Maher released the following statement on the Reedley Bio Lab on November 30, 2023:  

“This highlights the need for a new experienced generation to take the helm and lead. As a former Special Agent, I know there is no excuse for delaying the response for months. As your representative, I will support our local elected officials who are pushing federal agencies to ensure that public health and safety are not sidelined.

“Further, more attention must be paid to China’s foreign influence operations, espionage, and organized criminal activities here in California and across this country. For example, the apparent corruption of Gavin Newson’s administration giving over a billion dollars to the Chinese electric car company BYD to produce face masks for COVID-19. Chinese political espionage and foreign influence operations have led elected politicians to hand over taxpayers’ money in subsidies and sweetheart deals to companies like BYD and the Reedley Bio-Lab company.

“The threat posed by the Communist Party of China and its influence is real. We are at war, a new Cold War against the fragile dictators of that authoritarian state who are globally exploiting digital influence and mass surveillance for complete control over people’s lives. This is directly at odds with the liberty and freedoms afforded in the Constitution of the United States of America and why we must be vigilant in its defense.

“Jim Costa and his office need to be fully transparent about what they knew and when they knew it, and they also need to be held accountable for needlessly endangering the safety of local residents.”

The primary will occur on March 5, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. This election is about whether or not my hometown can ever be safe again.