DJI Sues Pentagon

[bkushner]

Dronemaker DJI sues Pentagon over Chinese military listing, alleges significant financial harm

 

[Vic Moss]

Hopefully this is the first step in destroying the false DC narrative that DJI spies for the CCP.

Reuters report: https://www.reuters.com/legal/chine...gon-over-chinese-military-listing-2024-10-19/

 

[davidarmenb]

A foreign, politically disliked company, using the United States justice system to go after a United States government agency. Even though DJI is absolutely in the right here, I don’t see this going anywhere.

 

[Vic Moss]

A foreign, politically disliked company, using the United States justice system to go after a United States government agency. Even though DJI is absolutely in the right here, I don’t see this going anywhere.

Worse case scenario, the truth comes out. DOD will have to produce facts instead of innuendos and suspicions. The vast majority of the legislation coming out of DC and state houses is based on the DOD memos. If those are proven false, their houses of cards comes tumbling down.

 

[GFields]

I only wish that DJI had sued earlier.

 

[Greasy]

Worse case scenario, the truth comes out. DOD will have to produce facts instead of innuendos and suspicions. The vast majority of the legislation coming out of DC and state houses is based on the DOD memos. If those are proven false, their houses of cards comes tumbling down.

But then again the DOD doesn't think twice about using their beloved Chinese cell phones that can send data anytime anywhere lol.

 

[Rchawks]

Truth and Facts. Humm.

 

[GFields]

Let's stay on topic

 

[dave canada]

I do like my mavic,s performance ,but thy arn,t thinking straight now,, i,m sure the pentagon got a chuckle out of that

 

[Chip]

Wow now this is a big story. I found a copy of DJI's 50+ page complaint:
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25242419/dji-v-dod-complaint.pdf
It is a very detailed and vigorous denial that DJI is owned, controlled, or affiliated in any way with the PRC military or military industrial complex. DJI argues that its inclusion on the DOD NO FLY LIST has no rational or factual basis. The complaint confirms that just four private parties, Frank Wang, Henry Lu, Swift Xie, and Li Zexiang hold 87.4% of the company’s shares and 99% of voting rights. The argument is therefore that DJI cannot be controlled by any third party. Here is an interesting side note. DJI's senior trial team member is Loretta E. Lynch. Who is LEL? She was US Attorney General in Obama administration. One claim to fame is that she denied the FBI opened an investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of private email server and was immediately contradicted by former FBI director, James Comey, shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

 

[mavic3usa]

Wow now this is a big story. I found a copy of DJI's 50+ page complaint:
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25242419/dji-v-dod-complaint.pdf
It is a very detailed and vigorous denial that DJI is owned, controlled, or affiliated in any way with the PRC military or military industrial complex. DJI argues that its inclusion on the DOD NO FLY LIST has no rational or factual basis. The complaint confirms that just four private parties, Frank Wang, Henry Lu, Swift Xie, and Li Zexiang hold 87.4% of the company’s shares and 99% of voting rights. The argument is therefore that DJI cannot be controlled by any third party. Here is an interesting side note. DJI's senior trial team member is Loretta E. Lynch. Who is LEL? She was US Attorney General in Obama administration. One claim to fame is that she denied the FBI opened an investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of private email server and was immediately contradicted by former FBI director, James Comey, shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

All of that may be true and it could be relevant if DJI were a company located in almost every other country in the world; however, DJI is HQ in China and that means only one thing, regardless of the structure, or the declarations, or the holding. The PRC is the ultimate and final authority for the biggest decisions and whether it's 1984 or 2024, nothing has changed with that regard. For example, should the US ban DJI drones in America starting in 2025, how DJI responds must be approved by Chairman Xi.

 

[Chip]

All of that may be true and it could be relevant if DJI were a company located in almost every other country in the world; however, DJI is HQ in China and that means only one thing, regardless of the structure, or the declarations, or the holding. The PRC is the ultimate and final authority for the biggest decisions and whether it's 1984 or 2024, nothing has changed with that regard. For example, should the US ban DJI drones in America starting in 2025, how DJI responds must be approved by Chairman Xi.

I am not sure if the DOD is required to prove its regulatory decisions are at least rationally based on facts like most if not all civilian administrative agencies. But I think DJI is saying it must and cites several court cases in support of its argument.

In its complaint, DJI is not bashful about its market dominance, stating:

DJI is the largest privately owned seller of consumer and commercial drones, which are used by police departments, fire departments, other first responders, large and small companies, and hobbyists throughout the United States and the world.

I think it will be fascinating to see how the DOD (represented by the Department of Justice) responds. Will the DOD argue the same as you, that the PRC is the ultimate and final authority for the biggest decisions? I would guess DJI would say objection, outside the scope of the pleadings, irrelevant, assumes facts not in evidence etc.

 

[Vic Moss]

For example, should the US ban DJI drones in America starting in 2025, how DJI responds must be approved by Chairman Xi.

Not true at all. Xi has no say so on how DJI responds to anything. Not sure where you got that info.

 

[davidarmenb]

Not true at all. Xi has no say so on how DJI responds to anything. Not sure where you got that info.

Can you imagine Xi’s daily life if he actually had to micromanage every single Chinese company or corporation? I mean there there must be thousands upon thousands upon tens of thousands of companies in China.

 

[mavic3usa]

Statement on Former Obama AG Suing U.S. Government on Behalf of Chinese Military Company DJI​

Saratoga, N.Y. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement on Barack Obama’s former Attorney General suing the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on behalf of Communist Chinese drone company DJI in an attempt to remove DJI from the DoD’s list of Chinese Military Companies.

Statement on Former Obama AG Suing U.S. Government on Behalf of Chinese Military Company DJI

stefanik.house.gov

 

[Vic Moss]

Statement on Former Obama AG Suing U.S. Government on Behalf of Chinese Military Company DJI​

Saratoga, N.Y. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement on Barack Obama’s former Attorney General suing the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on behalf of Communist Chinese drone company DJI in an attempt to remove DJI from the DoD’s list of Chinese Military Companies.

Statement on Former Obama AG Suing U.S. Government on Behalf of Chinese Military Company DJI

stefanik.house.gov

This just shows she didn’t read the complaint. This woman has zero of my respect. She stopped just short of calling me and my colleagues CCP spies. Less than a week after spending more than an hour on the phone with her staffer that deals with this, she and Moolenaar wrote a letter to the DOJ asking them to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance under the foreign agents act. As Director of the DAA, I take that very personally.

She is a horrible person.

 

[davidarmenb]

This just shows she didn’t read the complaint. This woman has zero of my respect. She stopped just short of calling me and my colleagues CCP spies. Less than a week after spending more than an hour on the phone with her staffer that deals with this, she and Moolenaar wrote a letter to the DOJ asking them to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance under the foreign agents act. As Director of the DAA, I take that very personally.

She is a horrible person.

This woman is a moron. I’m sorry I had to say that, but she is.

 

[Chip]

Statement on Former Obama AG Suing U.S. Government on Behalf of Chinese Military Company DJI​

Saratoga, N.Y. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement on Barack Obama’s former Attorney General suing the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on behalf of Communist Chinese drone company DJI in an attempt to remove DJI from the DoD’s list of Chinese Military Companies.

Statement on Former Obama AG Suing U.S. Government on Behalf of Chinese Military Company DJI

stefanik.house.gov

Stefanik's newsletter asserts:

“Barack Obama’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has turned her back on her nation, selling out to our greatest adversary Communist China and suing the United States on behalf of CCP-owned drone company DJI.

I never was a big LEL fan. In part because she tried to claim the FBI opened a "matter" regarding Hillary Clinton's alleged use of a private email server to conduct government business as opposed to an actual "investigation." Shockingly, former FBI Director James Comey refused to go along despite his political loyalties.

But accusing LEL of being a traitor for simply agreeing to represent DJI in a court case seems over the top. LEL is just one partner at one of the most prestigious and profitable Wall Street firms in America, with roots going back to 1875, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Moreover, when Stefanik was carving up Ivy League college presidents for appearing to approve one political side's right to protest on campus but not another, she was indirectly supported by Paul, Weiss who advocated banning student protesters who broke the rules from ever working on Wall Street.

She stopped just short of calling me and my colleagues CCP spies. Less than a week after spending more than an hour on the phone with her staffer that deals with this, she and Moolenaar wrote a letter to the DOJ asking them to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance under the foreign agents act. As Director of the DAA, I take that very personally.

That is some BS. Please do not let it get you down or get in your head. Your hard work is greatly appreciated.

 

[VenomXts]

Anything else going on with this? I haven't seen much news but its been dominated with everything else.

 

[Chip]

Anything else going on with this? I haven't seen much news but its been dominated with everything else.

A NOTICE OF DESIGNATION OF RELATED CIVIL CASES was filed with the court. It indicates that two similar cases are pending in the same DC District Court which arise from the same facts and share common issues of law:

Hesai Technology Co., Ltd. and Hesai Inc. v. U.S. Department of Defense et al., No.1:24-cv-01381;

Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China et al. v. U.S. Department of Defense et al., No. 1:24-cv-02357

So, its not just DJI suing the DOD. There are at apparently least two other entities who object to their DOD listing as military companies.