Yujing Zhang, a Chinese national who bluffed her way past security at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last month, appeared in court Monday. Prosecutors revealed they found high-tech equipment in her hotel room and a thumb drive on her person during her arrest that automatically installed malware on an agent’s computer when tested.
“She lies to everyone she encounters,” Assistant US Attorney Rolando Garcia said in a Florida federal court detention hearing Monday, according to the Washington Post. “The present charges have no allegation that she’s a spy or this is espionage, or whatever.. . . There are a whole lot of questions that remain to be answered. But at this point in time, that’s not part of our allegation.”
“He knew it was something out of the ordinary,” Ivanovich said. “He had to immediately stop his analysis and shut down his computer in order to stop it.”
However, they did confirm at least part of Zhang’s story. On March 28, the Chinese national legally entered the US at Newark airport in New Jersey, arriving on a flight from Shanghai.
Also on Monday, Trump fired Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles, but administration officials have confirmed the change-up was in the works long before the Mar-a-Lago debacle and not motivated in any way by it.