INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Congressman Jim Banks on Friday said sister city agreements put Indiana’s cities at risk of exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party.

Banks earlier this week took part in a hearing on China’s role among America’s enemies and specifically asked officials about sister city agreements.

In an interview with News 8 for Sunday’s “All INdiana Politics,” Banks said Chinese officials are trying to exploit what he called “naive” city leaders as Washington has grown increasingly hostile. As WISHTV.com first reported Tuesday, he said he was particularly concerned by a Washington Post investigation into a sister city agreement former Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard concluded with the Chinese city of Xiangyang during his final weeks in office.

New Mayor Sue Finkam has said her staff is reviewing that agreement and in the meantime, Carmel city staff will not travel to China.

Banks said every city in Indiana that has a sister city agreement with China should withdraw from it.

“They’re going out to naive mayors around the country to try to get them to sign these agreements and cut deals with China and I don’t think we should go along with it,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the Senate could reveal its border security deal this weekend. Banks said he doesn’t know what’s in the deal but so far, he plans to vote against it. He has maintained the Democratic-controlled Senate should pass House Resolution 2, the border security bill the Republican-led House approved that, among other things, would codify the Trump administration’s Remain in Mexico policy into law. In the same vein, he said he would vote to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas if the impeachment articles approved by a House committee this week reach the floor.

Banks formally filed his paperwork to run for the Senate at the Secretary of State’s office late Thursday afternoon, also dropping off ballot signatures for Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. While he was there, Secretary of State Diego Morales endorsed him using a photo originally taken by his staff, who are state employees, in his office. The endorsement was posted to Morales’ personal account on X, formerly known as Twitter, and not an official account. Indiana Democrats called Morales’ actions an ethics violation.

“As Indiana’s chief elections’ official, Diego Morales has a sworn responsibility to administer Indiana’s elections fairly and impartially,” Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl said in a statement. “Instead, he’s taken to declaring his preferred candidate as ‘Indiana’s next U.S. Senator’ before a single ballot has been cast and with the filing deadline still open.”

Morales’ office said the photo was one of many Morales took and posted with candidates who filed. A spokesperson said once any photo is published, they can’t control who uses it or for what purposes. They said Morales never made any endorsement in an official capacity. Banks said he sees nothing wrong with Morales’ actions and he’s proud to have his endorsement. He said he and Morales’ interaction on Thursday was no different from anything else Morales does in his capacity as Secretary of State when dealing with prospective political candidates.

“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WISH-TV.