Two Men Charged Under New Trump Law Targeting AI ‘Deepfakes’

The unraveling of Choi’s career began with a covert operation conducted by the O’Keefe Media Group. In a series of secretly recorded conversations, Choi, who held a position of trust within the diplomatic corps, made a series of admissions that effectively ended his professional life. Most damagingly, Choi was captured on video openly acknowledging that his romantic partner’s father was a direct affiliate of the Chinese Communist Party. In a moment of chilling candor, he also conceded that the woman herself “could have been a spy.” Despite the glaring risks associated with such a connection, Choi admitted in the footage that he deliberately concealed the relationship from his superiors, stating plainly, “I defied my government for love.”

The security protocols governing foreign service officers are both explicit and non-negotiable. Officials are strictly mandated to report any close and continuing contact with foreign nationals, particularly those with potential ties to hostile or adversarial governments. This reporting requirement is not merely a formality but a critical layer of defense designed to shield U.S. personnel from being compromised, coerced, or manipulated by foreign intelligence services. By willfully ignoring these rules, Choi knowingly placed himself and his department in a position of extreme compromise.