Politics

EXCLUSIVE: White House Officials And Top Trump Advisers Monitoring Efforts To Make China Pay For Coronavirus Fallout

Christian Datoc Senior White House Correspondent
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Multiple senior White House officials were briefed on and, as of Wednesday, are monitoring a civilian-led effort to hold the Chinese Communist Party monetarily accountable for coronavirus, persons familiar with the discussion told the Daily Caller.

The White House confirmed to the Daily Caller they are aware of the effort but declined to comment when asked about potential executive action on the issue. Several of President Donald Trump’s top out-of-government advisers are also aware of the effort.

“I’m totally in favor” one adviser told Daily Caller, “Fuck them.”

Another adviser called the lawsuit something that “can unite our country against a common enemy.”

US President Donald Trump arrives as Attorney General William Barr looks on during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump arrives as Attorney General William Barr looks on. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported on the class action lawsuit, filed by Berman Law Group in partnership with the Lucas | Compton lobbying and public affairs firm, which highlights specific misinformation spread by the Chinese government concerning the original outbreak in Wuhan and accuses the CCP of “acting from their own economic self-interest and looking to protect their place as a super-power, failed to report the outbreak as quickly as they could have.” (RELATED: Bipartisan Effort Underway To Hold Chinese Government Financially Accountable For Coronavirus Outbreak)

Persons familiar with the discussion also told the Daily Caller that “literally, all members of Congress will be sent a detailed brief about this suit in the near future.” The pause in briefing Congress was explained as necessary to avoid diverting their “laser focus” from passing the Phase 3 coronavirus stimulus package.

Of note, Berman Law Group is advised by Francis Biden, brother to former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, while Lucas | Compton employs George Sorial, a longtime Trump ally. The team leading the suit believes it’s important to petition both political parties across the whole of government to champion the cause if it has any real chance of making China pay for coronavirus fallout.

“We believe that this is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. This is an American issue,” Berman’s chief strategist Jeremy Alters told the DCNF. “The best way to do this is with a bipartisan effort to hold China accountable.”

“We should be unified in our response and our strategy about how we manage and navigate the situation with the government of China,” Travis Lucas, managing partner of Lucas | Compton, added. “The government of China needs to be held accountable, not only to its people but also the rest of the world.”

Passengers wearing facemasks arrive at the Macheng railway station, after a months-long lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Macheng in Chinas central Hubei province on March 25, 2020. - China lifted tough restrictions on the province at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak on March 25 after a months-long lockdown as the country reported no new domestic cases. (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Passengers wearing facemasks arrive at the Macheng railway station. (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition to obscuring the severity of the initial coronavirus outbreak, Chinese officials have for weeks been pushing misinformation on the virus and have been aided by some journalists and the World Health Organization. (RELATED: Here’s How Chinese Is Pushing Its Coronavirus Propaganda And Talking Points)

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called for an international investigation Tuesday into China’s alleged coronavirus coverup. He and Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik introduced companion resolutions calling on Congress to open said investigation.

“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 at the time. “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.”

Berman Law Group and Lucas | Compton urge any American who has been diagnosed by coronavirus, or has been economically impacted by the outbreak, to join the lawsuit by going to DemandChinaPay.org.