Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas criticized Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya for his dismissive comments on the Chinese government’s genocide against Uyghur Muslims.
“It’s shocking moral indifference to communist genocide,” Cotton told Fox News’ “America Reports” on Tuesday, adding that it’s “not that surprising from this woke billionaire.”
Palihapitiya made headlines Monday for saying “nobody cares” about the oppression of the Uyghurs during an appearance on the “All-In” podcast. He said the “ugly truth” was that the issue was “below my line” when compared to other things he cared about.
“He likes to saddle up his high horse and ride it hard on things like climate change and green energy because he knows that the Democrats, to whom he’s given millions of dollars of campaign contributions, will reward him with billions in tax breaks and subsidies,” Cotton said.
Unless Adam Silver and the NBA want to be exposed as brazened hypocrites supporting religious genocide, they need to force woke billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya to sell his share of the Golden State Warriors. pic.twitter.com/DeWXI0VdjX
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) January 18, 2022
Cotton accused Palihapitiya of being concerned about losing his access to Chinese markets and funds, thus focusing more on profit than human rights. (RELATED: China Replaces Senior Official Who Oversaw Genocide Of Uyghurs)
The Golden State Warriors said Palihapitiya’s comments did not reflect the views of the organization in a statement on Monday but did not mention the Uyghurs or the human rights violations they are subjected to, which Cotton called out.
“Golden State simply put out a statement saying they disagreed with his opinion, without even stating what the opinion is,” Cotton said. He argued the NBA was hypocritical in its silence because it moved its 2017 All-Star game from North Carolina over a bill that forced transgender people to use public bathrooms that matched the sex listed on their birth certificates, regardless of their gender identity.
Palihapitiya attempted to walk back his comments on Monday night, acknowledging he came across as “lacking empathy” and stating he believed “human rights matter.”
Palihapitiya did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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