Amidst the backdrop of the U.S. government looking into whether the coronavirus originated in a Wuhan lab and China revisingits official death count, MSNBC's Jeremy Bash -- a former chief of staff for Leon Panetta at the Pentagon and the CIA under Obama -- joined Andrea Mitchell on her Friday show to urge the administration to stop scapegoating and denigrating China.
Bash's advice on the China conundrum was contradictory for on one hand he declared, "we definitively have to be tough on them on the lack of transparency," but on the other, "we do have to work collaboratively with China and other countries to solve this problem. Scapegoating this as the Chinese Virus or denigrating or engaging in xenophobic rhetoric about China or Chinese individuals is counterproductive."
Despite the fact that the virus originated in China, possibly as part of the CCP's desire to surpass the U.S. as the world's greatest geopolitical power, Bash explained, "of course, a virus knows no political boundaries, does not understand nation-states. It can infect anyone anywhere. And the presence of the virus in China or elsewhere could ultimately and will ultimately harm America and American citizens. So we have to work globally to take on this challenge, and I think efforts to try to divide us between countries or trying to look for scapegoats is fundamentally counterproductive."
So, we're supposed to be tough on them because they've clearly lied in the past and continue to lie, but to do so is also denigrate the country or xenophobic against Chinese individuals, because the virus the CCP unleashed on the world by failing to contain it, can harm anyone, anywhere, so to single out the Chinese government is really just scapegoating? How does that make any sense?
Mitchell then asked, "Do you trust the intelligence that the president is getting -- with the shake-ups and the firings and lack of an independent watchdog now over the intelligence community?"
Bash said that he does "trust the intelligence professionals," but that "I do worry that the president sometimes doesn't listen, doesn't heed that advice. We heard earlier on in the administration times when the president said “don't tell me about what Vladimir Putin is doing.” And he will go out and praise Xi Jinping as I referenced on January 24th, despite the intelligence warning that the intelligence community provides."
One wonders how much of Bash's feelings about being "counterproductive" with China are influenced by his advising role at Paladin Capital Group.
Here is a transcript for the April 17 show:
MSNBC
Andrea Mitchell Reports
12:43 PM ET
JEREMY BASH: Well, that's right, Andrea. I think an integrated approach to China has to have several elements. Number one, we definitively have to be tough on them on the lack of transparency. Also, I don't think we should be running head long into rewarding them with trade deals like phase one or phase one follow-on trade deal. But we do have to work collaboratively with China and other countries to solve this problem. Scapegoating this as the Chinese Virus or denigrating or engaging in xenophobic rhetoric about China or Chinese individuals is counterproductive. Because of course, a virus knows no political boundaries, does not understand nation-states. It can infect anyone anywhere. And the presence of the virus in China or elsewhere could ultimately and will ultimately harm America and American citizens. So we have to work globally to take on this challenge, and I think efforts to try to divide us between countries or trying to look for scapegoats is fundamentally counterproductive.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Do you trust the intelligence that the president is getting with the shake-ups and the firings and lack of an independent watchdog now over the intelligence community?
JEREMY BASH: I trust the intelligence professionals. I have been talking to many of them over the last several weeks. They are nose down working diligently. They've had to shift some of their modes of operation in some cases engaging in telework, working remotely, using other methods and means to collect and analyze intelligence. I think they're doing a very diligent job at providing as much information up the chain of command as they have with respect to China and other countries. And with respect to what other countries are doing and how they're reacting to the coronavirus question. But I do worry Andrea, and I think this is a point out of your question, but I do worry that the president sometimes doesn't listen, doesn't heed that advice. We heard earlier on in the administration times when the president said “don't tell me about what Vladimir Putin is doing.” And he will go out and praise XI Jinping as I referenced on January 24th, despite the intelligence warning that the intelligence community provides.
