June 12, 2025 • 7 mins
Michigan Rep. Luke Meerman joins Justin for a critical conversation on the rising threat of Communist China’s influence right here in our backyard. From biological materials smuggled through Detroit Metro to CCP-connected tech and espionage risks on Michigan college campuses, Meerman breaks down what’s happening behind the scenes—including bold steps Republicans are taking with the first-in-the-nation state-level foreign oversight committee. We dig into the Goshen plant controversy, military-linked battery companies, compromised infrastructure, and why universities like U of M must be held accountable for the access they give to foreign nationals. If you think this is just about students or trade deals, think again. The CCP is playing the long game—and Michigan’s finally fighting back.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Conversation reb Luke Merriman with us right now from the
state of Michigan, and Luke's got some things that they're
overseeing as we speak, some big things that are in
the news lately. Luke, appreciate you being here with us.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
How are you this morning, justin I'm glad to be
with you.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So, you know, yesterday President Trump just talked about this
deal with China. He just released the information about some
big deal with China, and inside the deal with the
terraffs and whatnot with China. There was commentary about which
I found kind of interesting and sort of disturbing about
(00:38):
these these Chinese. Hey, we still want to have Chinese
students coming here, and in the last few days have
been questioned about that. I know you guys have been
looking at this and uh and really trying to take
a look at the last week or two, we've seen
several arrests Detroit Airport, biological materials and things brought in
possibly being weaponized, and and folks really not just here
(01:02):
in Michigan, but I think also of the country should
be to be concerned about this.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, absolutely we should be, and we're seeing these examples
in the news, but It's something that we've been hearing
about from you know, like for instance, former FBI Director
Ray for years was talking about this and really begging
those around us here that we all should care about
what China's trying to do. And it was just last
week that are General Cain said, this is the biggest
(01:38):
threat we're facing in our nation's history of what the
Communist Chinese Party is doing here in this nation. And
so I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A few of these news stories that we're seeing now.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
You guys have done some work on this this year already.
What's happening behind the scenes on this and actually out
in front and center as well.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah. Absolutely. It started with a working group that myself
and Redbrook started protecting Michigan from foreign entities, and it
resulted in the first of the nation at the state
level Foreign Oversight Committee, which Repbrook runs and I'm a
vice chair of. But we've been looking into things like this.
(02:20):
We've been focusing on drones and drone technology. But we
sent a letter last November to then President Huno of
the University of Michigan asking them what protections or what
things are they doing to vet these Chinese students because
we know that they are all, by the Chinese constitution,
(02:46):
supposed to be doing espionage whenever the Chinese government asked
them to do it. So we just need to be
more vigilant and more of us need to be watching
what's going on. This is not against the Chinese people's
against the Chinese Communist go this looking to subvert this nation.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
What can be done? You know, in the conversation yesterday
with James Dixon, and he said, you know, it's interesting,
he said, you know what that maybe Trump would take
action here, but it looks like he's sort of decided
not to at least for now on this, and that
leaves it in the hands of the university really to
police themselves. And he says that likely that's going to happen,
(03:26):
particularly with the University of Michigan, because they get so
much money from these foreign students coming in. I'm not
necessarily saying we have to vet to cut off the
foreign students, but maybe we need to vet a little
bit more carefully here. That's not Maybe certainly we need
to vet a little more carefully here who's coming in
and who's working here, And maybe there needs to be
ongoing scrutiny in that matter as well.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, absolutely, what access what projects? Because University of Michigan also,
you know, gets paid a lot of money from federal
government to do research, and so what research projects do
these Chinese students have access to should matter to all
of us. We had Congressman molinar In here at the
(04:10):
Lampsting State Capitol a month and a half ago, and
one of the things that stood out to me was
he said, seventy percent of the routers that are used
in municipal situations around the State of Michigan are made
by Chinese, and we're seeing that there are back doors
in many of these routers. So that's a simple thing
(04:32):
to start, you know, replacing those that aren't made in China. Well,
I shouldn't say it's simple, but it's a place that
we need to start, as State of Michigan and other municipalities, townships,
and cities to protect our critical infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
And I had some hearings on this yesterday. I though
former Ambassador Joseph Sello was involved. Anything new, he's been
a staunch upon it to that Ghoshen plant up north.
Anything new coming out of the hearings yesterday.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, we did. We had a we had a hearing.
Jill Stella has been a great partner in all of
this and helping feed me things and information. I just
really appreciate what he's been doing. And so out of
that committee, the thing I took away was, you know,
(05:23):
we do want this battery technology, and we do want
these batteries produced here in the United States, but we
don't need to partner with Cattle and Cattle has been now.
You know, the Department of Defense said that, you know,
nobody from the military can work with this company because
they are seen as a really just an arm of
the Chinese Republican Army. So we have other countries we
(05:47):
could partner with, Japan and South Korea the at battery
technology too, maybe not the same or maybe not at
the same scale. But we certainly don't need to give
Michigan tax dollars. It's it's through a subsidiary company, and
it's a company that you know, Ford has its hands in,
But we don't need to incentivize cattle or give them
(06:07):
any connection here to Michigan. We can find partners in
the in the world that don't want to subvert this nation.
We can find somebody in South Korea that's making batteries
as well.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Now, this issue hadn't gone away anytime soon, but Rebolute Merriman,
we appreciate the fact that the Republicans in the House
had taken some steps on this, and you're taking it seriously.
Please come on when you have more updates. I'd like
to see you know where this goes. Obviously, there needs
to be accountability. We've got to improve that vetting process
and a little more scrutiny as things go on there.
But this is this is not an answer that we're
(06:40):
going to have overnight, but it's something that I think
folks need to wake up to here in Michigan. We've
we've got to be aware China's got plans for us.
If we allow them to go through with them, it's
not going to be pretty, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Agreed, Agreed, Thank you sir.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Always a pleasure, make it a great one.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
God blessed, Thank you. Moving
Conversation reb Luke Merriman with us right now from the
state of Michigan, and Luke's got some things that they're
overseeing as we speak, some big things that are in
the news lately. Luke, appreciate you being here with us.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
How are you this morning, justin I'm glad to be
with you.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So, you know, yesterday President Trump just talked about this
deal with China. He just released the information about some
big deal with China, and inside the deal with the
terraffs and whatnot with China. There was commentary about which
I found kind of interesting and sort of disturbing about
(00:38):
these these Chinese. Hey, we still want to have Chinese
students coming here, and in the last few days have
been questioned about that. I know you guys have been
looking at this and uh and really trying to take
a look at the last week or two, we've seen
several arrests Detroit Airport, biological materials and things brought in
possibly being weaponized, and and folks really not just here
(01:02):
in Michigan, but I think also of the country should
be to be concerned about this.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, absolutely we should be, and we're seeing these examples
in the news, but It's something that we've been hearing
about from you know, like for instance, former FBI Director
Ray for years was talking about this and really begging
those around us here that we all should care about
what China's trying to do. And it was just last
week that are General Cain said, this is the biggest
(01:38):
threat we're facing in our nation's history of what the
Communist Chinese Party is doing here in this nation. And
so I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A few of these news stories that we're seeing now.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
You guys have done some work on this this year already.
What's happening behind the scenes on this and actually out
in front and center as well.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah. Absolutely. It started with a working group that myself
and Redbrook started protecting Michigan from foreign entities, and it
resulted in the first of the nation at the state
level Foreign Oversight Committee, which Repbrook runs and I'm a
vice chair of. But we've been looking into things like this.
(02:20):
We've been focusing on drones and drone technology. But we
sent a letter last November to then President Huno of
the University of Michigan asking them what protections or what
things are they doing to vet these Chinese students because
we know that they are all, by the Chinese constitution,
(02:46):
supposed to be doing espionage whenever the Chinese government asked
them to do it. So we just need to be
more vigilant and more of us need to be watching
what's going on. This is not against the Chinese people's
against the Chinese Communist go this looking to subvert this nation.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
What can be done? You know, in the conversation yesterday
with James Dixon, and he said, you know, it's interesting,
he said, you know what that maybe Trump would take
action here, but it looks like he's sort of decided
not to at least for now on this, and that
leaves it in the hands of the university really to
police themselves. And he says that likely that's going to happen,
(03:26):
particularly with the University of Michigan, because they get so
much money from these foreign students coming in. I'm not
necessarily saying we have to vet to cut off the
foreign students, but maybe we need to vet a little
bit more carefully here. That's not Maybe certainly we need
to vet a little more carefully here who's coming in
and who's working here, And maybe there needs to be
ongoing scrutiny in that matter as well.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, absolutely, what access what projects? Because University of Michigan also,
you know, gets paid a lot of money from federal
government to do research, and so what research projects do
these Chinese students have access to should matter to all
of us. We had Congressman molinar In here at the
(04:10):
Lampsting State Capitol a month and a half ago, and
one of the things that stood out to me was
he said, seventy percent of the routers that are used
in municipal situations around the State of Michigan are made
by Chinese, and we're seeing that there are back doors
in many of these routers. So that's a simple thing
(04:32):
to start, you know, replacing those that aren't made in China. Well,
I shouldn't say it's simple, but it's a place that
we need to start, as State of Michigan and other municipalities, townships,
and cities to protect our critical infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
And I had some hearings on this yesterday. I though
former Ambassador Joseph Sello was involved. Anything new, he's been
a staunch upon it to that Ghoshen plant up north.
Anything new coming out of the hearings yesterday.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, we did. We had a we had a hearing.
Jill Stella has been a great partner in all of
this and helping feed me things and information. I just
really appreciate what he's been doing. And so out of
that committee, the thing I took away was, you know,
(05:23):
we do want this battery technology, and we do want
these batteries produced here in the United States, but we
don't need to partner with Cattle and Cattle has been now.
You know, the Department of Defense said that, you know,
nobody from the military can work with this company because
they are seen as a really just an arm of
the Chinese Republican Army. So we have other countries we
(05:47):
could partner with, Japan and South Korea the at battery
technology too, maybe not the same or maybe not at
the same scale. But we certainly don't need to give
Michigan tax dollars. It's it's through a subsidiary company, and
it's a company that you know, Ford has its hands in,
But we don't need to incentivize cattle or give them
(06:07):
any connection here to Michigan. We can find partners in
the in the world that don't want to subvert this nation.
We can find somebody in South Korea that's making batteries
as well.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Now, this issue hadn't gone away anytime soon, but Rebolute Merriman,
we appreciate the fact that the Republicans in the House
had taken some steps on this, and you're taking it seriously.
Please come on when you have more updates. I'd like
to see you know where this goes. Obviously, there needs
to be accountability. We've got to improve that vetting process
and a little more scrutiny as things go on there.
But this is this is not an answer that we're
(06:40):
going to have overnight, but it's something that I think
folks need to wake up to here in Michigan. We've
we've got to be aware China's got plans for us.
If we allow them to go through with them, it's
not going to be pretty, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Agreed, Agreed, Thank you sir.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Always a pleasure, make it a great one.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
God blessed, Thank you. Moving
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