Security Fears Over Trailer Park Next to Nuclear Bomber Base
A prominent US Republican lawmaker is urgently calling for a federal investigation into how a couple with reported links to a former Chinese Communist Party intelligence operative came to own a trailer park in Missouri that sits directly adjacent to a critical US Air Force base. The base in question, Whiteman Air Force Base, was the launch site for the B-2 stealth bombers that carried out strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities earlier this year.
The Congressman's Concerns and the Couple's Ties
The demand for a probe was issued by Rep. Mark Alford, the Republican representative for Missouri's 4th District, which encompasses Whiteman Air Force Base. In a formal letter sent to the Treasury Department on Wednesday, Alford highlighted a report concerning the ownership of the Knob Noster Trailer Park.
The property is owned by Esther Mei and Cheng Hu, a couple residing in Canada who hold the asset through a series of corporate entities. The central cause for alarm stems from their past associations with Miles Guo, a disgraced billionaire who once admitted to working for an intelligence arm of the Chinese Communist Party before he later renounced the party entirely.
Rep. Alford expressed profound concern about the park's location, stating it is less than a mile from the base's runway. He emphasised that Whiteman 'plays a vital role in our national defence.' In his letter to Andrew Fair, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Investment Security, Alford wrote, 'Any potentially foreign ownership of land directly next to one-third of our nuclear triad is deeply concerning, and its ownership by a potential CCP intelligence operative is a grave threat to national security.'
Questions Over Scrutiny and Organisational Links
However, Alford's office was careful to clarify that the letter is not an accusation. His Press Secretary, William Barry, stated that the congressman 'does not jump to conclusions regarding the transaction or Esther Mei and Cheng Hu.' Instead, the letter seeks fundamental information: whether the property purchase was ever reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and if so, what the outcome was.
Further investigation by The Daily Caller uncovered that Mei and Hu are indicated to be members of the New Federal State of China (NFSC). This organisation was founded in 2017 by Miles Guo and Steve Bannon, a former strategist for Donald Trump, with the explicit goal of overthrowing the Chinese Communist Party. The couple have hosted shows for the NFSC and have interviewed Guo on livestreams.
Adding weight to the concerns, Alford's letter cited commentary from Bryan Dean Wright, a former CIA operations officer, who characterised the use of a series of shell companies to own the property as 'classic Chinese intel ops.' It is important to note that no evidence has been presented suggesting the trailer park is actively being used to undermine US military operations.
Alford also pointed out a significant regulatory detail: Whiteman Air Force Base was only added to a list of protected military installations in 2024, a move that triggers heightened scrutiny for real estate transactions within a 100-mile radius. Since the couple's purchase occurred before this protection was enacted, it bolsters the need for a retrospective review.
The Treasury Department has so far only acknowledged receipt of the letter and has not provided a substantive response. Rep. Alford has now requested a classified briefing with Treasury staff to discuss the matter further, as constituents in his district have reportedly expressed being 'very concerned about this specific issue.'
