According to the Daily Wire, Barbara Hamlett, who worked as a scheduler for Beyer, was no longer allowed in the office after it was found that she had been setting up meetings between congressional offices and the Chinese embassy.

“Congressman Beyer was totally unaware of these activities prior to being contacted by the House Sergeant At Arms,” Aaron Fritschner, Beyer’s deputy chief of staff, said. “As soon as he learned of them, he followed every directive he was given by security officials.”

“The staffer in question is no longer employed by the office of Congressman Beyer,” Fritschner concluded.

The deputy’s statement also included the fact that Beyer was “deeply upset” about the revelations, and that his goal to protect America from Chinese threats is still resolute.

According to Fritschner, Beyer “has been an outspoken critic of China’s record on human rights—including their crackdown in Hong Kong and their opporession of the Muslim Uyghur population in Xinjiang—as well as an advocate for Tibet, and a vocal supporter of Taiwan.”

Beyer’s staff stated that he did not have a clue that Hamlett was working with the Chinese embassy, and that the congressman was told by the House sergeant at arms what Hamlett had been up to.

An email which had been sent to a congressional office from Hamlett contained an invitation to introduce an unidentified party to “friends at the Chinese Embassy.”

“I have worked on The Hill for nearly 34 yrs. and worked 5 of those years as Deputy Scheduler to the late Senator Arlen Specter,” one email from Hamlett said. “I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine that work at the Chinese Embassy who would like to meet you and have a chat.”

The investigation by Beyer’s office confirmed the meetings, which Hamlett had attempted to set up with at least two Republican offices.

Hamlett has spent nearly 40 years working on various congressional staffs.