Source guide

President's Daily Brief: Beijing Escalating Efforts to Shape U.S. Policies on China

An extensively redacted June 25, 2020 President's Daily Brief item retains one readable passage about alleged leverage over a U.S. official and related analytic context.

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01

Reported threat involving derogatory information

In the readable portion, the brief reports that an unidentified source warned a White House official that Beijing held derogatory information to pressure him toward a restrained approach to China; surrounding source and operational details are redacted. Analysts assessed the reported threat as credible and referred to an apparent attempt to use blackmail against an administration official.

“Beijing had derogatory information on him in an effort to compel him to take a restrained approach to China”
Partially redacted reporting
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“We assess that this threat is credible.”
Analytic assessment
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02

Context on collecting “black materials”

The visible analysis says lower-level Chinese officials had recommended collecting and using compromising material against perceived anti-China U.S. officials since at least January 2019 and characterized the redacted recommendation under discussion as the most detailed and authoritative then seen.

“Lower level Chinese officials have recommended collecting and using “black materials” against perceived anti-China US officials since at least January 2019.”
Analytic context
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“This is the most detailed and authoritative recommendation that we have seen.”
Analytic assessment
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