Skip to content

Judicial Watch, Inc. is a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.

Judicial Watch, Inc. is a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.

Because no one
is above the law!

Donate

Judicial Watch

Issue Deep Dive

The Billion Dollar California-China Mask Deal

“I encourage you to read and review all of the documents we’ve uncovered because the media won’t tell you about it, because the leftists controlling California don’t want to be held accountable.”

Friday’s Judicial Watch Weekly Update with Tom Fitton covered a number of pressing topics, including a billion dollar facemask deal struck between the California state government and the Chinese mask manufacturer, BYD. As Fitton explained, “we were able to extract 848 pages of documents about a California government deal… we’re trying to figure out what was behind this contract which was quite controversial… the documents are pretty interesting.” 

According to Judicial Watch’s findings, “the documents reveal that the Office of Emergency Services Assistant Chief Counsel in California admits that they deviated from the normal procurement protocol for this contract.” As Fitton summarized from an April 7th 2020 email, the President of the Chinese company, BYD, suggested that the California agency “should open champagne at the conference call when California finalized the purchase of the masks.”  In a later amendment to the agreement, “BYD had to refund 247 million of the 495 million down payment [to California] because they weren’t able to meet the deadline to receive certification for the N95 masks.

“These are remarkable documents,” Fitton continued. “The documents show how a well-connected and controversial Chinese firm was able to get a leg up on a billion-dollar mask contract with California politicians,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. 

Related

Sean O’Donnell, Former EPA Inspector General, Joins Judicial Watch Litigation Team

Press Releases | July 15, 2025
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that Sean O’Donnell has joined the litigation team at Judicial Watch. O’Donnell was U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ins...

Judicial Watch Sues Justice Department for Records on Trump’s Butler, PA, Would-Be Assassin Thomas…

Press Releases | July 14, 2025
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for all records regarding Thomas Matth...

Judicial Watch Sues Justice Department for Hunter Biden Pardon Records

Press Releases | July 14, 2025
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for all records from the Offices of At...