The Trump administration has yet to take a hard line against Russia for meddling in the 2016 election (and the upcoming midterms), but Vice President Mike Pence had no problem placing blame on China today. NBC News reports:
The White House is trying to make the case that China is taking new and more aggressive steps aimed at influencing U.S. elections, political debates and policies, even suggesting that Beijing wants to oust President Donald Trump.
Vice President Mike Pence, in a speech Thursday, bluntly accused China of “meddling in America’s democracy” to an extent that far surpasses Russia, though he provided little detailed evidence to back up his claim.
Pence claimed:
“As a senior career member of our intelligence community recently told me, what the Russians are doing pales in comparison to what China is doing across this country.”
“China has initiated an unprecedented effort to influence American public opinion, the 2018 elections and the environment leading in the 2020 presidential elections. To put it bluntly President Trump’s leadership is working, and China wants a different American president.”
Pence’s remarks come as U.S. officials, including Trump himself, have ramped up their rhetoric against what they say are Chinese efforts to undermine American businesses, provoke the U.S. military and develop a sophisticated election-meddling campaign similar to what Russia carried out in the 2016 election.The comments echo Trump’s explosive allegation, made last week at the United Nations Security Council, that China is already interfering in the 2018 midterm elections. China’s foreign minister denied the claim at the time.
First Trump, now Pence. The ground is being laid to blame China, not Russia, for election interference and tampering to further denigrate the Mueller probe. This is not a test. This is really happening, gaslighting in real time.
— Stuart Elliott (@stuartenyt) October 4, 2018
Watch some of Pence’s remarks above.
