The White House faced backlash Friday afternoon after it gave a weak response to communist China making a threat to shoot down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) plane if she attempts to visit Taiwan.
The threat comes as Pelosi departs today for a tour through Asia that includes stops to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Chinese propagandist Hu Xijin, editor of China’s jingoistic state-run Global Times, responded to news about Pelosi’s travels by issuing a threat on social media. Hu is a former Chinese army officer, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and is the unofficial mouthpiece for the country, able to say what China’s top officials want to say, but often can’t.
“If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is invasion,” Hu said. “The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down.”
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during Friday’s press conference whether Democrat President Joe Biden had a response to the threat.
“An official who is associated with Chinese State media is suggesting that if Speaker Pelosi tries to go to Taiwan that her plane could be shot down,” Doocy said. “Does the president have a response to that?”
“I know you’re asking specifically about the rhetoric that we’re hearing from China. But as it relates to the speaker’s travels, it’s something that we’re just not going to speak to. Right now, that’s a hypothetical. We’re just not going to speak on her schedule,” Jean-Pierre responded. “As we have said multiple times, we give advice and guidance to any members of Congress where they travel … But again, I’m not going to speak to a hypothetical.”
WATCH:
Unbelievable: Karine Jean-Pierre says the White House won't respond to Chinese state media threats to shoot down Nancy Pelosi's plane should she visit Taiwan.
"We're just not going to speak on her schedule."
Abject, embarrassing weakness. pic.twitter.com/4Biw7DsqBr
— John Cooper (@thejcoop) July 29, 2022
“Low as my opinion of the Biden White House is, I’d have expected their response to a question about a hostile foreign power SHOOTING NANCY PELOSI’S PLANE OUT OF THE SKY to be something stronger than ‘if she dies, she dies,’” National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin tweeted. “They failed at Americaning.”
“There are no words to express how shamefully the Biden White House has caved, catered and capitulated to China,” Stephen Miller, former senior adviser to President Donald Trump, tweeted. “The damage to our power and prestige is colossal.”
Matt Gorman, vice president at Targeted Victory, slammed Democrats for not coming to Pelosi’s defense over the threat.
“Wild that Republicans are pretty much the only ones coming out defending Pelosi on this,” he wrote. “Dems are standing around with their hands in their pockets, shrugging.”
“Uh, sweetheart, you don’t have to speak to her schedule. You can and should speak to the outlandish threats by #China,” Michael D. Brown, former under secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, tweeted. “You don’t even comprehend what you’re saying. You only know what’s in your notes. China knows that, too. And your boss, @POTUS , he’s in the bag for China.”
Source: Dailywire
