More than a dozen Republican attorneys general called on Congress to conduct hearings about China’s “deceit” during the coronavirus outbreak.
Eighteen state chief legal officers sent a letter to congressional leaders over the weekend asking them to look into the disinformation tactics put out by the Chinese government when the virus first broke out in Wuhan at the end of 2019.
The letter, led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, accused China of working with the World Health Organization to mislead the world intentionally about the origins of the outbreak. The letter was directed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the heads of the House and Senate Foreign Relations committees, and other leaders.
The letter cited incidents in which Chinese officials “muzzled” Taiwanese complaints about the virus and expelled U.S. media outlets from the country. The attorneys general also said the country has heightened its propaganda tactics amid the pandemic.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in March that the WHO had not shared information with its member states that China had provided on the coronavirus, including its cases and prevention methods.
That same month, China expelled U.S. reporters from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post and demanded those outlets and others provide information about their staff and operations in the country.
“We must all hold China accountable for the devastation and destruction caused by COVID-19,” the letter said.
Along with South Carolina, the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia signed off on the letter.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt was the first to file a lawsuit against China in April, accusing it of holding a “campaign of deceit” regarding the virus’s outbreak. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said she would also file a lawsuit against China on behalf of the state.
