Amanpour Channels China’s Propaganda, Says GOP Can’t Criticize Regime

Christiane Amanpour, PBS, welcomed Todd Young (Republican from Indiana) onto her Monday evening program. She discussed whether Republicans could credibly condemn China’s Communist Party for democracy and human rights and also criticised Reps. Liz Cheney & Adam Kinzinger. Young criticized the absurdity of the comparison and forced Amanpour into admitting that they cannot be compared.

After Young warned of the deepening relationship between Russia and China, Amanpour tried to turn the conversation to Republicans: 

Let me see if I can maybe step into their shoes or into some shoes from abroad watching the United States. They watch and they say, “hold on a second, America’s preaching democracy to us, but yet, you know, treating democracy rather cavalierly.” To point, on Friday, when the Republican National Committee decided to censure two Republicans, as you know better than I do, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republican members of the January 6th investigation committee. And they said they were doing that for participating in the, ‘persecution of ordinary citizens engaged legitimate political discourse.’ So I wonder whether you agree that storming the Capitol, an insurrection there, people who have been charged, some of them with seditious, you know, intent, et cetera, are engaged in legitimate political discourse?

Young shot back: “Well, I think there can be no moral equivalency between the forced abortion of, of women and babies, between the, the repression and, and, you know, confinement of Uyghur Muslims, between the, the suppression of all civil rights in Hong Kong, on one hand, and some of the problems we’ve had here in the United States more recently.”

The senator also said that lawbreakers should be punished. He warned people against falling for false moral equivalency propaganda pushed by China’s Xi Jingping, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

In response, Amanpour did back of her initial response but still wouldn’t let go of the RNC’s censure resolution:

You are absolutely correct Senator. It is not morally equivalent to what is happening in these gulags. As an American leader in global democracy and missionary, would you still consider storming America’s Capitol to be legal political discourse, given that it is the home of America’s democracy, Constitution, and system?

Young replied by saying again: “I do not know an American that views that as legal discourse…But we mustn’t make the same mistakes that Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping have in mind. They are asking us to become self-flagellated in this moment of, or of, the fractious US debate. “We must not.”

Young has it right. Xi is waging genocide. Putin threatens to invade Ukraine because it dares to claim that it is independent. A toothless censure resolution will not be on the same level.

You sponsored this segment.

The transcript of the February 7, 2018 show is available here:

PBS Amanpour and Company

2/8/2022

12:00 AM ET

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So look, let me see if I can maybe step into their shoes or into some shoes from abroad watching the United States. They watch and they say, “hold on a second, America’s preaching democracy to us, but yet, you know, treating democracy rather cavalierly.” To point, on Friday, when the Republican National Committee decided to censure two Republicans, as you know better than I do, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republican members of the January 6th investigation committee. And they said they were doing that for participating in the, “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged legitimate political discourse.” So I wonder whether you agree that storming The Capitol, an insurrection there, people who have been charged, some of them with seditious, you know, intent, et cetera, are engaged in legitimate political discourse? 

SEN. TODD YOUNG [R-IN]: Well, I think there can be no moral equivalency between the forced abortion of, of women and babies, between the, the repression and, and, you know, confinement of Uyghur Muslims, between the, the suppression of all civil rights in Hong Kong, on one hand, and some of the problems we’ve had here in the United States more recently. So, you know, I’ve been quite vocal about those who broke the law on January 6. As anyone who breaks the law should, they should also be held accountable. It is absurd to attempt to create an equivalency, something I am sure you are not doing but which Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping tried to do. Most of the world knows that. Repressive foreign regimes must be criticized, but we shouldn’t let ourselves down. And that’s what’s, is important to highlight at this point. That’s why I begun this social media campaign to draw attention to these human rights violations, #BeijingBehavingBadly. This campaign received positive feedback.

AMANPOUR (Senator): Of course Senator, it’s true that you are absolutely correct. What’s going on in the gulags isn’t morally comparable. But, I am an American, who is the global leader in democracy and a missionary. Do you think that storming the U.S. Capitol would be an acceptable form of political discourse since it was the center of America’s democracy, Constitution, system and Constitution?

YOUNG: That is not a legitimate form of political speech in America. They are not something I have seen in Indiana. They are a fringe group. That is why we, the people of China, must be clear. Let us not get into the trap Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping are trying to make us fall into. These people want us to be self-flagellating in this moment of, well, fratrictious American debate. It is not possible. Our eyes must not be distracted from the goal. It is important to remember the true nature of human rights abusers. This is why I started this social media campaign. It’s so that the Chinese Communist Party, and other dictators such as Xi Jinping, cannot take advantage of this chance to normalize. This shouldn’t be a lengthy infomercial about the CCP and their repressive values system.