GOP congressman calls on Blinken to demand COVID reparations from China

A top Republican in the House has called on Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to demand reparations from China for the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a Tuesday evening letter, Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., asked Blinken why he has yet to "commit to punishing China for its role in the pandemic?"

Banks urged the State Department to seek damages from China and bring the case in front of the International Court of Justice, seated in The Hague.

The Chairman’s letter followed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) anticipated report on the origins of the coronavirus, which suggested the virus began by transmitting from one animal to another, but left the actual origins of the virus unclear.

The White House condemned the report saying it lacked "transparency" and "crucial data, information, and access," press secretary Jen Psaki said following the report’s release Tuesday. "It represents a partial and incomplete picture."

The Biden administration has criticized China’s unwillingness to allow for a thorough investigation into whether or not the virus was leaked from a Wuhan lab -- as some have speculated since the onslaught of the... (Read more)

Latest News