Majority House Speaker James Clyburn, DS.C., on Tuesday refused to take a position on whether China is committing genocide against ethnic Uighur Muslims in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, telling the ” America Reports “that” I try to stay out of these international affairs affairs. “
“I didn’t make this a particular effort of mine here in Congress,” Clyburn told co-host Sandra Smith. “I listen to these things and usually reserve comments when they are on the edge of international issues, and I will be going today too.”
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that he had determined that the Beijing government “committed genocide against predominantly Muslim Uighurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.
“I believe that this genocide is underway, and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy the Uighurs by the Chinese [Communist] party-state, “Pompeo said in a statement.” The governing authorities of the second most economically, militarily and politically powerful country on the planet have made it clear that they are engaged in the forced assimilation and eventual erasure of a vulnerable ethnic and religious minority group, while simultaneously asserting their country as a global leader and trying to reshape the international system to your image. “
When asked by Smith whether he supported Pompeo’s statement, Clyburn replied, “I didn’t study either, you know, I don’t react to the headlines. I tend to see exactly what leads to those headlines. You know, what led us to so many problems in this country today are catch phrases. People react to catch phrases. And then we look at that [and] you see that this is not the substance. “
Smith tried again noting that President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said China was guilty of “horrendous human rights abuses”.
“How do you answer that question?” she asked.
POMPEO DESIGNS THE TREATMENT OF UIGHURS IN CHINA AN ‘ACT OF GENOCIDE’
“Well, again, I’m going to see how these international issues – Pompeo is not one of my favorite people and is doing something like that on the last day of his term, [I] I wish the transition had gone smoothly for the Biden government to be part of these types of issues. To do this kind of thing on the last day of the term [is] putting people in really sensitive positions and trying to make things difficult for the next administration. I’m just not going to get into that. “
“But as far as you know, with respect to the actions that China has taken, that President Xi [Jinping] took, do you believe he is guilty of genocide, knowing what you know today? “asked Smith.” It is extremely important that we know what the new government’s position is on this as well.
“You can ask me as many times as you like,” replied Clyburn. “I will not go into it. I will wait to see what administration I trust, what conclusions they will draw before I go into it. I will not judge that.”
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Clyburn’s noncommittal stance seems to be at odds with the elected president, whose campaign declared in August that China’s “unspeakable oppression” against Uighurs and other ethnic minorities “is genocide and Joe Biden is against it in the strongest terms” .
The House Majority Whip’s non-responses generated a strong response from Senator Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Who told Fox News in a statement: “Facing the genocide of the Chinese Communist Party must be bipartisan. Americans must unite against a genocidal regime that rapes and tortures Uighurs. Human dignity is not a partisan issue. “