House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was once a vocal critic of China’s brutal and oppressive communist government.
Pelosi opposed China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) 2001. In the mid-1990s, she courageously protested against communism in the middle of Tiananmen Square.
But last week, Pelosi advised athletes competing in the Winter Olympics to focus on competition and resist the urge to protest China’s horrific human rights abuses.
“I would say to our athletes — you are there to compete. Do not risk incurring the anger of the Chinese government because they are ruthless,” Pelosi said.
“I know there is a temptation on the part of some to speak out while they are there; I respect that. But, I also worry about what the Chinese government might do to their reputations, to their families,” she added.
Pelosi’s comments were rightly met with condemnation from U.S. political figures on both sides of the aisle. Even the White House distanced themselves from the Speaker’s message to athletes.
“All athletes have the right to freely express themselves, and that is the case in Beijing at the Olympics,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, later adding that “we certainly support the right to peaceful protest.”
China, meanwhile, took umbrage with Pelosi’s use of the word “ruthless,” but noted that the Speaker was “right” to discourage athletes from protesting.
What prompted Pelosi’s dramatic change in tone towards China?
As explained by Breitbart International News Editor Frances Martel, “Pelosi’s public attitude towards China changed as her husband Paul began investing in the Chinese economy and networking with regime-friendly figures.”
Pelosi is not alone in her willingness to look past the brutality of the Chinese government, according to Martel. She joined the Hammer and Nigel Show Tuesday to further elucidate the complex circumstances surrounding U.S. relations with China.
Plus, what’s at stake with the Ukraine crisis and escalating tensions with Russia’s Vladamir Putin.
https://omny.fm/shows/hammer-and-nigel-show/francis-martel-interview
