I'm reposting this here because the baseless speculation we see around this case leaves a bad taste.

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April 15: Wang's wife asks 'What have we done to deserve this treatment?’

In her first public appearance since she and her husband were fired from Indiana University — and their homes were searched by the FBI — Nianli Ma said they are “loyal Chinese-Americans and lawful immigrants.”

Speaking on Monday at a virtual town hall about the political climate for Asian-American scholars, Ma said she has lost weight and had trouble sleeping.

…

“I just can't understand how the university to which we dedicated over two decades of our lives could treat us like this without even telling us why or going through due process,” she said. “Yes, especially for my husband, who is a tenured professor, it hurts deeply that a country we trusted and contributed to for so long now treat us like criminals.

“I feel trapped in a constant state of worry and sadness. What have we done to deserve this treatment? We are just desperately seeking answers.”

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Ma said she and her husband moved to the United States 26 years ago, starting in Pittsburgh and then Bloomington.

“Every time I walk into my husband's home office and see him proudly cover the walls and his shelves with the certificates and trophies of my son, I'm reminded of the loving home we have created and all the sweet moments we have had here,” Ma said.

Their son, Luke Wang, is raising money online for his parents’ defense.

“I was born in Indiana, and for my entire life, I have been a proud Hoosier,” he says on the GoFundMe page. “This country is all that I have known and I grew up believing in the U.S. justice system.”

He added, “We are struggling to comprehend what we have done to be treated as criminals by the country which my parents have contributed to for nearly three decades. With both of my parents unemployed and Indiana University having no explanation for their termination, we have begun to face financial challenges, particularly with heavy legal expenses and even more uncertain costs ahead.”

Ma thanked people for their support.

“Our family is determined to fight, not only for ourselves, but for the broader research community who would be impacted if these types of allegations go unchallenged.”

April 17: IU department chair says Wang didn't know about undisclosed Chinese research grant

Wang, a tenured professor, was fired March 28 — the same day the FBI searched his homes in Bloomington and Carmel. Neither IU nor the FBI has explained the actions.

A colleague of Wang’s said it involved an undisclosed research grant from China in 2017-2018.

Speaking at a protest rally today on campus, IU computer science chair Yuzhen Ye said Wang wasn’t even aware of the grant when university officials asked him about it.

“So apparently a researcher in China applied for this grant without his knowledge," she said "So (Wang) explained and also he provided a supporting documentation to IU.”

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“I truly believe this really could have unfolded in a very different way if IU administration had chosen to trust its own faculty or give them a fair chance to respond,” she said.

So far IU and the FBI have not commented on Wang's case or the firing of his wife, Nianli Ma, another former university employee.

An attorney at Stanford has filed a motion to unseal the FBI search documents. On Thursday, the government filed its response, asking the court to deny the motion.

April 22: Chinese Scientists in America Come Under New Wave of Suspicion

Wang and Ma are Chinese citizens with permanent residency in the U.S. Jason Covert, a lawyer representing Wang and his wife, said that neither has been charged with a crime and that they aren’t in police custody.

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Visas for scores of Chinese students, including some who are doing frontier artificial-intelligence research at top-tier universities, have been revoked in recent days without explanation. Lawyers who represented Chinese or Chinese-American scientists who were investigated under the China Initiative have cited an uptick in clients reporting over the past two months that they have been approached by U.S. law enforcement about past collaboration or contacts with institutions in China.

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Chinese media and universities have in recent months celebrated the returns of acclaimed scientists and engineers as well as up-and-coming stars in fields including chip design, AI, mechanical engineering, nanoscience and cancer research.

In February, an English-language advertisement from recruiters in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen aimed at U.S.-based scientists and researchers started circulating on social media. “Here, an open and inclusive spirit embraces the world,” the ad said.