Nancy Pelosi, House speaker (D.CA), is currently in Asia. Pelosi will be visiting Taiwan on that trip. It’s important that the Biden Administration stands up to China threats and makes it clear that these threats are not to be taken lightly. It’s got nothing to do with whether you like Pelosi or her trip, per se; it’s about not allowing the country to be threatened by China.
But as we noted, they’ve failed to respond appropriately to the threats. The initial response from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t condemn the threats at all. Indeed, they didn’t even want to talk about it.
John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications was again questioned Monday by reporters about the Taiwan trip. There is only one way to explain his answer: weak at the extrem. He said Pelosi hadn’t confirmed any travel plans and that “nothing has changed” regarding their “one China policy.”
John Kirby: “The Speaker has not confirmed any travel plans and it is for the Speaker to do so, and her staff .We won’t be commenting or speculating about the stops on her trip…Congress is a independent branch of government…the Speaker has a right to visit Taiwan.” pic.twitter.com/dGIJJsYvSh
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 1, 2022
Are you kidding? They threatened to shoot Speaker from the air. Perhaps you ought to be condemning their threats against us and Pelosi. Are you telling them they should pound sand instead? Instead, it’s all toadying, like “Please, China, don’t be offended, everything is normal” is his response.
Then he also throws Taiwan under the bus exactly at the time we should be standing by them saying specifically that we do “not support Taiwan independence.”
John Kirby: “…We do not support Taiwan independence”
It looks like the Biden White House has given in to China pic.twitter.com/KOadfrMrb2
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 1, 2022
Kirby then tried to spin statements made earlier by Joe Biden that it was not a good idea to have Pelosi go.
CBS’s @NancyCordes: [to Taiwan]?
Kirby: I don’t know that she was…Who urged her not to go?
Cordes: [Biden]On August 20, she stated that her departure was not recommended by the military.
Kirby: [She]Makes her own decisions pic.twitter.com/mQ6FWDeIXI
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 1, 2022
Nancy Cordes, the reporter I spoke to was probably referring July 20, and not August 20. But notice that Kirby doesn’t answer the question about why the Biden team was urging her not to go. It is clear that he evades the question. That means they’re kowtowing to China.
He refused to tell them what they’d said.
WashPost’s Tyler Pager poo-poing a Pelosi trip to Taiwan: “It seems like this trip obviously is sparking a little bit more anxiety…but given the national security risks…was there not a discussion…about whether…you should take a more urgent stance?” pic.twitter.com/W8h8Pqy34z
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 1, 2022
Then when Real Clear News reporter Philip Wegmann asked why the Biden team hadn’t told China to pound sand and stop belly-aching since this was normal behavior to go, Kirby acted as if he didn’t know what was going on, and accused Wegmann of “manufacturing drama.”
Reporter: “Why did the president bother w/ this drama…why not call the Chinese bluff or tell them to pound sand?”
Kirby: Kirby, “What’s all the drama?”
R: Have you viewed the briefings over the last couple of weeks?
K: “I haven’t seen any drama…you’re manufacturing it with your question.” pic.twitter.com/gc1e8moDi0
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) August 1, 2022
For anyone who is in such a position, this is as weak as it gets. He throws Taiwan under the bus and still hasn’t even condemned China’s actions. What is the point of them not condemning a threat made against us and our Speaker? It’s just madness that this is their response. If I were China looking at this, this would embolden me and prompt me to think if we won’t even strongly condemn them over our Speaker, why would we do anything if they invaded Taiwan?
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