Sens. Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton are calling for the Chinese Communist Party to be held accountable for its role in the coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in thousands of deaths and a global economic crisis.
Speaking to Sean Hannity on his Fox News show Tuesday evening, Hawley (R-Mo.) called for an “internal investigation” into action — or inaction — taken by China leading up to and during the COVID-19 crisis.
“We need to make it clear — and we need an international investigation to make it clear for the world — that this started in Wuhan, China, that the Chinese government lied about it, they jailed the doctors who tried to blow the whistle on it, they cost the world thousands of lives and billions of dollars,” Hawley said. “And here’s the other thing, they ought to be on the hook to pay back some of it.”
Hawley reiterated throughout the interview that once the US eventually recovers and the global community is strong again, China must be held responsible for its role in the outbreak.
The Missouri Republican announced Tuesday on Twitter that he was introducing “a resolution calling for full investigation of #China Communist Party’s lies & actions that killed thousands of their own people & turned #CoronavirusOutbreak #COVID19 into a global pandemic.”
Hawley added, “The cost of Beijing’s criminal conduct should be assessed and they should pay damages to USA and the world.”
Meanwhile, Cotton (R-Ark.) published an op-ed with Fox News Wednesday with Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) calling for the US to end its dependence on Chinese drugs and “take back our ability to make pharmaceuticals and medical devices right here in America.”
Cotton, a longtime critic of the Communist regime, wrote of his proposal, “Emergencies like pandemics and wars break down previously dependable supply chains and relationships as nations start to fend for themselves. It’s sadly clear America gave up the ability to fend for ourselves in basic medicine long ago.”
Earlier this month, Cotton suggested that the United States “will hold accountable those who inflicted it on the world, and we will prosper in the new day,” in a press release announcing that he was closing his Washington, DC, office as a result of the pandemic.