Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called for an international investigation into China Tuesday over the nation’s alleged cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic that has spread rapidly into the U.S. and Europe.
Hawley introduced a resolution calling for the investigation, alongside Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is introducing a companion resolution in the House of Representatives. (RELATED: Sen. Josh Hawley: Big Tech Has Too Much Power To Control Information)
“Since day one, the Chinese Communist Party intentionally lied to the world about the origin of this pandemic. The CCP was aware of the reality of the virus as early as December but ordered laboratories to destroy samples and forced doctors to keep silent,” Hawley said in a press release. “It is time for an international investigation into the role their cover-up played in the spread of this devastating pandemic. The CCP must be held to account for what the world is now suffering.”
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik speaks onstage during Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit – Day 1 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune/Time Inc)
“The Communist government of China knowingly withheld critical information needed to combat the spread of the Chinese-born COVID-19 and to this day continues to spread lies and disinformation on the origin of the deadly virus,” Stefanik said. ” “There is no doubt that China’s unconscionable decision to orchestrate an elaborate coverup of the wide-ranging and deadly implications of coronavirus led to the death of thousands of people, including hundreds of Americans and climbing.”
Earlier this week, Hawley took the World Health Organization (WHO) to task for their response to the pandemic, accusing them of siding with China, and demanding “consequences” for their actions. The senator’s tweet was a response to a Sunday report from Daily Caller News Foundation editor Peter Hasson, which found that World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus benefited from the backing of the Chinese government in his success 2017 election.
“There need to be consequences here,” Hawley tweeted Sunday night. “WHO has sided w/ #China Communist Party against the world in this pandemic.”