China 'Aggressively' Seeks US Officials' Support for Its COVID-19 Response - FBI
Washington/Sputnik: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has learned that China has been aggressively attempting to influence US federal and local officials into defending Beijing’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, most recently by asking a state senator to introduce a resolution on the matter, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday.
"We have heard from federal, state and even local officials that Chinese diplomats are aggressively urging support for China’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Yes, this is happening at both federal and state levels," Wray said in an address at the Hudson Institute. "Not that long ago, we had a state senator who has recently been asked to introduce a resolution supporting China’s response to the pandemic."
The United States has blamed China for its initial attempts to cover-up the novel coronavirus outbreak while in effect allowing it to spread across the world.
Wray said China is attempting to influence US decision-makers through their constituencies - companies, academics, members of the media and the like.
The latter may have legitimate and understandable reasons to want access to Chinese partners and markets, many of whom may not realize that they are used as pawns, Wray added.
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