Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) ripped China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijan after he pushed back against accusations that China has engaged in a “systemic coverup” regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
What he said: Gallagher responded to Zhao’s criticism with a 4-minute video he posted to Twitter.
He thanked Zhao for bringing attention to his op-ed and called his accusations “gaslighting in its purest form.” The lawmaker said in the video that Taiwan is not China, took a jab at the country for restricting access to its citizens to social media platforms, and called on its government to ” free the Uyghurs,” a Muslim ethnic minority in the country.
China has placed 1 million of them in what it calls “re-education camps,” sentenced hundreds of them to prison, and is accused of forcibly sterilizing Uyghur women.
Gallagher also mocked Zhao for saying that Fort Detrick is “just an hour’s drive from Wisconsin.”
You can watch the full video here:
Hi @zlj517 and @MFA_China! Thank you for drawing attention to my article on China's Chernobyl. Since I know geography is not the CCP's strong suit, I made a helpful video explainer. Try to do better next time, and while you're at it, free the Uyghurs. https://t.co/Fr15QxzRap pic.twitter.com/DQIU2FWDJD
— Mike Gallagher (@RepGallagher) June 23, 2021
How we got here: Gallagher penned an op-ed for Fox News in which he blasted the Chinese government for a lack of transparency about the pandemic and for refusing to allow for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus. He compared China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak to the Soviet Union’s response to the Chernobyl disaster.
“Chinese academics and doctors who raised the alarm were silenced, forced to release hostage-style videos recanting their ‘erroneous’ statements, and even put under house arrest for daring to challenge the official narrative,” he wrote.
“All of these actions suggested the communists were engaged in a systematic coverup designed to avoid culpability for its mishandling of the pandemic that has killed over 3 million people,” Gallagher noted.
The lawmakers also criticized the mainstream media for rejecting the lab leak theory and highlighted why it’s important to find out where and how the virus originated.
In response, Zhao urged Gallagher to visit Fort Detrick, which is located in Frederick, Maryland, to investigate “why EVALI broke out in Wisconsin around the same time research was suspended” at the facility.
“I wonder if the US congressman concerned has paid enough attention to the massive outbreak of EVALI in Wisconsin in July 2019. The world has yet to see a clear conclusion about the disease. As a lawmaker representing Wisconsin, does he think this is a systematic ‘coverup’ by the US side?” Zhao asked.
“If he really wants an answer, it might help if he drives to Fort Detrick from Wisconsin to find out the truth. In June 2019, research work at Fort Detrick was suspended after an inspection found failure to follow procedures and mechanic glitches and leaks. Around the same time, EVALI broke out on a large scale in Wisconsin,” he said.
Mike Gallagher, US Representative for Wisconsin, accused China of a "systematic coverup" on COVID-19. Why not go to Fort Detrick, to find out why EVALI broke out in Wisconsin around the same time research was suspended at Fort Detrick? pic.twitter.com/fSNo6EoiMg
— Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) June 24, 2021
“Fort Detrick is infamous for its security risks and leak incidents. Its so-called research respecting no moral bottom line and ‘release of viruses’ are just shocking,” he said.
“In the face of widespread doubts and concerns from the international community, the US remains reticent and evasive. What is it afraid of? No country but the US can be truly accused of systemic coverup. Are there more terrible truths that remain unknown in the US? Once again we urge the US to open up Fort Detrick as soon as possible, grant necessary access to international experts to learn relevant information, and publish research conducted in its over 200 biological labs all over the world,” Zhao concluded.
Worth noting: Zhao has deleted the tweet in which he claimed that Fort Detrick is “just an hour’s drive from Wisconsin.”
