House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) sent a letter to all House Republicans on Monday to lay out a plan to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its role in the mishandling of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
McCarthy pointed to a University of Southampton study released in March 2020 that said if the CCP had taken preventative steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 one to three weeks soon, cases could have been reduced by 66 percent, 86 percent, and 95 percent respectively.
"Evidence continues to indicate that the CCP intentionally hid information and lied about what it knew to be true about the virus. Additionally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom knowingly and willfully downplayed or outright denied the Chinese government’s malfeasance, and instead chose to cower to the CCP rather than stand up for the international community," McCarthy wrote. "Like all of you, I am deeply angry about the avoidable loss of life, hope, and futures resulting from the CCP’s actions. They and their conspirators must be held accountable."
The letter outlines "eight pillars" that McCarthy says will "deliver transparency and justice to the American people. Of the most notable is allowing U.S. families of people who died from COVID-19 to sue the CCP and relocating the 2024 Olympic Winter Games.
1. Declassification of Intelligence: House Republicans will introduce legislation to require declassification of information related to the origins of Covid-19, including in any report that comes from President Biden’s recent request.
2. Prohibit Gain of Function Research in and with China: We must ensure the United States no longer funds any gain of function research conducted in or with China, or any individual with known ties to the CCP.
3. Prohibition on National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding to Malevolent Foreign Governments: Congress should prohibit NIH funding to grantees or subgrantees from doing research with irresponsible foreign governments or entities who are intent on harming the United States, its allies, or the American people, such as China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.
4. WHO Overhaul and Counterintelligence Investigation: WHO Director-General Tedros should step down from his post at the WHO; Taiwan should be granted observer status at the WHO; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in partnership with the U.S. Intelligence Community, should conduct a counterintelligence investigation into the U.S. medical research establishment to determine the extent to which the governments of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have infiltrated critical U.S. organizations.
5. Investigations and Utilizing Existing Authorities: President Biden and Congress must continue to investigate the origins of Covid-19.
6. Visa Restrictions and Sanctions: Congress should pass a new sanctions regime imposing economic sanctions and visa and admissibility restrictions on those in China, associated with the CCP, WHO, or other international organizations who knowingly and willfully participated in the Covid-19 coverup.
7. Waiving Chinese Sovereign Immunity: The families of those who have died from Covid-19 should be given the option to file suit against the Chinese government for damages incurred as a result of the reckless conduct of the CCP. Several Republican members, including Dan Crenshaw, Ann Wagner, and Brian Fitzpatrick, have introduced legislation allowing such lawsuits to go forward.
8. Relocation of the 24th Olympic Winter Games: Given the CCP’s active coverup of Covid-19 and contribution to the 3.8 million deaths worldwide, China should not be rewarded by allowing Beijing to host the Winter Olympics in 2022.
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McCarthy jabbed President Joe Biden for failing to "utilize any of his broad powers to hold China accountable and has willingly given up valuable leverage to force constructive change at the WHO."
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