A woman carrying Chinese passports and a thumb drive filled with "malicious software" was arrested by the Secret Service over the weekend, court documents filed Monday reveal.
Yujing Zhang apparently talked her way into President Trump's Palm Beach, Florida resort to "speak with" someone from the Trump family, prosecutors allege in federal court filings charging her with making false statements. Trump was visiting Mar-a-Lago that weekend and was playing golf while the alleged incident occurred, per CNBC.
Per court filings, Zhang made it through a Secret Service checkpoint using two Chinese passports featuring her name and photograph. Secret Service agents didn't see her name on an approved access list, but Zhang reportedly said she was headed to the pool. Despite not having a swimsuit, Zhang made it through because a staffer told agents "Zhang is the last name of a member at the Mar-a-Lago club," The Washington Post details via the filings.
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Inside the club, prosecutors say Zhang told a receptionist she was there for a "United Nations Friendship Event" between China and the U.S. That event wasn't happening, so she was taken aside and questioned. That's when Secret Service agents say they found Zhang had a thumb drive full of "malicious software." In questioning, Zhang allegedly said her "Chinese friend 'Charles'" told her to travel from Shanghai to "attempt to speak with a member of the president's family about Chinese and American foreign economic relations," per the filings. Zhang has been charged with making false statements to a federal officer and entering a restricted building.
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