Claim that Senate candidate Mike Rogers worked to give Chinese companies U.S. access lacks evidence

In Michigan, recent ads airing on TV and online target Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers over his past work in tech, accusing him of aiding Chinese companies in accessing U.S. markets and risking national security.

Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic representative, is challenging Rogers to fill the Senate seat left open by retiring Democrat Debbie Stabenow. Slotkin has accused Rogers of helping companies tied to China and pointed to Rogers’ work with AT&T, which was pushing to sell Chinese phones in the U.S. at the time.

In a 15-second ad that appeared on Facebook and Instagram from Aug. 9-Aug. 19, Slotkin’s campaign said Rogers’ work involved bringing Chinese tech companies to the U.S. 

"What did Mike Rogers do after 20 years as a politician? He left Michigan to trade on his D.C. connections, helping Chinese tech companies get access to the U.S.," the ad’s narrator said, as a Huawei logo flashes on the screen. 

When we asked Slotkin’s campaign for evidence behind her claim, it pointed us to articles about AT&T’s efforts to bring Huawei and ZTE devices to the U.S.

Huawei is a multinational Chinese tech company that sells phones and mobile network equipment. A research report from Rand Corp., a nonprofit think tank, said Huawei has close ties to the Chinese government, and lawmakers have pushed American tech companies to cut ties with Huawei over national security concerns.

Rogers worked for American tech companies that had connections to Huawei — including AT&T and Nokia. But Slotkin’s ad would have viewers believe Rogers was involved in deals to bring Chinese tech to the U.S. There’s little evidence to back that up.

"At no point ever has Mike advocated for Chinese technology companies, especially Huawei and ZTE," Rogers campaign spokesperson Chris Gustafson said.

Rogers served in Congress for 14 years, representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015. He was the House Intelligence Committee chair from 2011 to 2015. 

As House Intelligence Committee chair, Rogers oversaw an investigation that led to the committee labeling Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese tech company, as national security threats. A committee report found no evidence that the companies were spying in the U.S., but said both companies "cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state influence." 

Adam Segal, an expert on Chinese foreign policy and cybersecurity at the Council on Foreign Relations, told PolitiFact that the committee’s assessment was based on concerns that the companies’ network infrastructure could be used to surveil Americans or to disable vital network operations.

"You’re worried about collection of data, and turning over that data for intelligence purposes, or causing a disruption in critical services or telecom services in a crisis," Segal said. 

In 2012, Rogers appeared on CBS News’ "60 Minutes" to warn American tech companies against working with Huawei. 

"I would find another vendor if you care about your intellectual property, if you care about your consumers’ privacy, and you care about the national security of the United States of America," Rogers said. 

Huawei denies that it threatens U.S. security. It has said it is a private company and would deny Chinese government requests to access its network or cede intelligence.

In 2022, the Federal Communications Commission banned the sale of new devices and equipment from Huawei and ZTE, citing security concerns.

After leaving Congress in 2015, Rogers hosted a syndicated talk radio show and began working and consulting in cybersecurity. He joined the board of directors of companies and nonprofits related to his congressional work in cybersecurity. These included IronNet Cybersecurity, a cybersecurity services company, and Mitre, a nonprofit that conducts federally funded research in fields including defense and cybersecurity.

Both AT&T and Rogers’ spokesperson, Gustafson, confirmed that Rogers worked as a sales consultant for AT&T’s managed cybersecurity unit in 2016 and 2017. AT&T was then talking with Huawei on a deal to sell its phones in the U.S. The company had also begun selling devices made by ZTE. 

The deal between AT&T and Huawei unraveled in 2018, before it was set to be formally announced. Although the companies gave no official reason for the deal’s demise, it came after members of the House and Senate intelligence committees wrote to the FCC with concerns about Huawei’s plans to enter the U.S. market, Reuters reported. 

Featured Fact-check

Eric Hovde

stated on November 12, 2024 in X, formerly Twitter

Says the election results are suspicious because opponent U.S. Sen. Baldwin won “nearly 90%” of absentee ballots in Milwaukee.

Rogers’ campaign and AT&T told us that Rogers was not involved in any business decisions related to Huawei. Gustafson said Rogers "played absolutely zero role and had no oversight or say in equipment procurement for AT&T Wireless."

AT&T confirmed Rogers’ position in an email, and said he "had no role in business or purchasing decisions with the company." 

In biographical blurbs connected to 2017 and 2019 conferences Rogers attended, Rogers was described as "chief security adviser" for AT&T. AT&T described Rogers’ role as a sales consultant.

In August, Rogers’ campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter to local TV stations over their airing a Slotkin ad that also claimed that Rogers aided Chinese companies. In the letter, which the Rogers campaign provided to PolitiFact, Rogers’ lawyers wrote that Rogers "has never worked for any Chinese tech companies, including ZTE and Huawei." 

Although Slotkin’s campaign focused on claims about AT&T, Rogers was also a risk analyst for Nokia’s American subsidiary from 2016 to 2024. The larger multinational corporation, Nokia, is headquartered in Finland. As a risk analyst, Rogers provided "advice and guidance on business and security risks to senior company leaders," Gustafson said, and had no connection to its Chinese ventures.

Until January, Nokia partnered with Huawei in a joint ownership of Chinese tech company TD Tech. Nokia was the majority owner with 51%. Nokia sold its stake in January to a group of Chinese companies. 

It’s unlikely that Rogers’ role with Nokia’s American division would have been connected to its parent company’s ventures in China, Segal said. 

"If they’re maintaining good cybersecurity, that joint venture is not connected in any way to the networks that Nokia US is using," Segal said. 

In an ad, Slotkin’s campaign said Rogers was "helping Chinese companies get access to the U.S." 

Rogers worked for AT&T while it was pursuing deals with Chinese phone companies to sell their devices in the U.S. But Rogers’ role was separate from those business decisions, the company said, and there’s no evidence he was involved. 

We rate this claim False.