Revealed: Iowa Republican congressman touting self-published thriller about Chinese AI attack SKIPPED hearings on real-life national security threats from Beijing

By JOSH BOSWELL, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Published: 20:37, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 20:43, 11 June 2026 Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn is trying to cash in on a self-published thriller about the threat of Chinese AI, espionage, and the future of warfare - despite missing several hearings on the real-life threats of China, the Daily Mail can reveal.  The Republican has promoted the book heavily online - soliciting payments via his personal Venmo account - and leaning heavily on his national security credentials to market the novel.  Nunn's book 'Stratagem' is described on his self-built website as a 'breakneck thriller that propels the reader into the future of technology and conflict', with a quote from a New York Times bestselling author P.W. Singer saying it 'explores how next-generation AI, global espionage, and information warfare will all reshape our security.' The site trumpets his credentials as a 'combat-tested veteran, counterintelligence officer, and sitting Member of Congress serving on the Select Committee to Counter China.' And the lawmaker is no slouch, having introduced six China-related bills in Congress. But attendance records show that since his appointment to the congressional committee in February 2025, he has skipped multiple hearings on the very topic he has been fictionalizing in his debut novel. On April 16 this year he did not attend a hearing on 'China's Campaign to Steal America's AI Edge, despite voting records showing he was in Washington, DC at the time. He missed a hearing on April 9, 2025 on 'How the Chinese Communist Party Exploits American Retirees and Undermines National Security', and on July 23 for a hearing on 'Strategies to Counter PRC Economic Coercion Against Democracies'. Republican congressman Zach Nunn,has written a self-published thriller about the threat posed by Chinese artificial intelligence and espionage The new book - illustrated by his daughter Addisyn (left) - Stratagem, is marketed as a geopolitical thriller exploring the future of AI, information warfare and conflict between the United States and China On December 11, he failed to attend a hearing on 'China's Auto Threat to America'. Voting records show he was in Washington, DC on April 9 and December 11 last year, prompting outrage from his Democratic opponents. They are calling out the congressman for skipping his hearing, with a searing claim that he is 'more concerned with climbing the political ladder and using his office to enrich himself and his donors than doing his real job of working for Iowans’. 'The good news for Nunn is that he’ll have plenty of time to solicit Venmos for his self-published thriller when Iowans fire him in November,’ said Katie Smith, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Nunn's spokesman, Mark Matava, defended the lawmaker's record as a 'China expert' who 'secured more provisions in last year's defense bill than any member of Congress, and helped pass legislation to prevent the CCP from buying Iowa farmland and importing deadly fentanyl.' Bills he introduced include the AI PLAN Act, which requires government departments to work together to tackle AI-powered threats from China and other adversaries, and the United States-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership Act, which pushes for collaboration with Taiwan on defense technology. Two copies of Nunn's new book can be seen carefully placed on Nunn's bookshelf in the background of a Fox News interview last month. Trump traveled to China last month to meet with President Xi The leaders participated in a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026, in Beijing The Congressman also linked from his website to a two-minute excerpt of an audio version of the thriller, posted on YouTube. The site has a breathless description painting the picture of a geopolitical page-turner by the veteran and lawmaker. 'A deadlocked presidential race has triggered the first Contingent Election in two hundred years, throwing power not to the people, but to a bitterly divided Congress,' said the blurb on Nunn's site describing the plot for the novel. 'As Washington tears itself apart, Beijing seizes the opening: a Chinese supercarrier group steams toward Cuba, shield for a rumored autonomous nuclear-launch submarine designed to lurk off US shores for years, ready for a first strike.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.