Sometimes a piece of information comes along that you just know is something that can't possibly end well. And sometimes, these can be real head-scratchers. This is one such, an action that's so egregious that you have to wonder: Did nobody at all look at the national security aspect of all this?
And yet, here we are: A Chinese national, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, has purchased a building overlooking the White House, with line-of-sight, even. Oh, and he's a trained sniper. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) took to his X account with the news.
This is egregious.
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) August 14, 2026
I’ve already called for national security reviews over Chinese purchases of land near military bases.
Now a reported CCP intelligence official trained as a sniper bought a building overlooking the White House.
Every alarm in Washington should be going off. https://t.co/CWfJsWEl56
Take a look at the graphic with that post. The building is 125 meters from the closest corner of the White House, and from appearances, an estimated 300 to 350 meters to anywhere on the White House grounds. For a trained sniper, a shot at those distances is child's play. Furthermore, the building appears to have line-of-sight to the nearer parts of the White House itself.
An article published Thursday at The Daily Caller has more details.
A senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence official is the new owner of a historic building overlooking the White House Complex, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation discovered.
Located approximately 650 feet northeast of the White House grounds, the 100-year-old Securities Building on 15th Street was purchased on July 21, 2026 for $8.4 million by the Philip Qiu and Family Foundation, filings show. The building’s new owner, Philip Qiu, has held numerous positions within Chinese intelligence and state security arms, according to university records and DCNF translations of Chinese government announcements.
Did I mention he's a trained sniper?
“Classmate Qiu Feili, who has undergone special forces training, served as a commander in the Red-Blue Battle, and not only directed his troops to successfully capture enemy positions, but also killed one-third of the opposing forces with 42 shots, achieving the best individual sniper record,” according to a DCNF translation of SJTU’s announcement concerning the training exercise.
So there you have it. China is and has been for some time the United States' primary geopolitical rival. Now a Chinese national, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a former (former?) intelligence operative, and an accomplished rifleman, now owns a building with line-of-sight to the White House, and it's at a distance that would make it an easy shot for a 15-year-old kid with a .30-30, much less a trained sniper.
It seems unlikely in the extreme that the CCP isn't at least aware of this, if they didn't facilitate it outright. Very little goes on in the Middle Kingdom without the CCP's sanction. And it doesn't take a great imagination to figure out what the final purposes of a purchase like this might be: Observation and intelligence-gathering at best, and I think we all know what the worst might be. Assassination isn't exactly a new thing in China. The one thing that might give China pause in any such act is that the United States, given Philip Qiu's background, would likely view it as an overt attack on the United States government.
There has to be some way to undo this. The odds of a former CCP intelligence officer and trained sniper buying this particular building at this particular time are near zero.
Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at RedState, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical Left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.
Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member