In the middle of ABC’s coronavirus coverage, during Sunday’s Good Morning America, the network admitted what many people had already figured out, that communist China had covered up the emergence and spread of the virus. But Sunday’s report came with the backup of a “blistering” U.S. intelligence assessment, as reported by correspondent Rachel Scott.
“This morning, U.S. intelligence officials are accusing China of a coronavirus cover-up. A new report from the Department of Homeland Security, obtained by ABC News, claims the Chinese government intentionally concealed the severity of COVID-19 in early January,” Scott explained at the top of her report.
Scott even appeared to throw the World Health Organization (WHO) under the bus for spreading China’s misinformation:
During that time, officials say China was also building out its own stockpile of medical supplies. And took steps to protect it. On January 14th, the WHO shared this tweet, saying China saw “no evidence of human-to-human transmission” of coronavirus.
This was something many people had already understood to be true. Meanwhile, the liberal media were clutching their pearls about President Trump cutting funding to the propaganda spreading organization.
On the issue of China’s stockpiling, Scott noted that their actions had disrupted “the global supply chain for nations that needed those essential items most.” And according to the intelligence assessment she was citing, China produced roughly “80 percent of the surgical face masks. But 48 percent fewer were shipped out. Gloves were down 48 percent. And exported ventilators dropping 45 percent.”
A short time later, co-anchor Dan Harris was speaking with chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz and expressed concern that this new information could lead to some sort of confrontation between the U.S. and China.
“I think it certainly could, Dan. That is a pretty alarming series of events if China was hiding this -- outright hiding this to stockpile these kinds of ventilators and masks and whatever they could stockpile,” Raddatz responded.
She deduced that “President Trump will probably take a very serious look at that” because “he's been focusing on China. He's even suggested that the virus broke out in a lab in China. So, that is something that President Trump will seriously look at to see if there's any retaliation.”
ABC has arguably been the more honest broadcast network when it came to China’s efforts to obfuscate the facts. As CBS’s and NBC’s evening newscasts had quietly stopped sharing China’s claim of ‘no new domestic’ coronavirus infections, ABC’s World News Tonight reported on April 13 and 14 that China had seen a new outbreak.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
May 3, 2020
8:06:54 a.m. EasternDAN HARRIS: Let's turn our attention now to China, where, of course, this whole thing began. And this morning, ABC News has obtained a U.S. intelligence report that states China hid the extent of this from the rest of the world while it stocked up on crucial medical supplies. And ABC's Rachel Scott is on that story from Washington. Rachel, good morning to you.
RACHEL SCOTT: Dan, good morning. Yes, this is the blistering assessment from U.S. intelligence officials. That report says China kept quiet about how bad the outbreak was and intentionally concealed its trade activity as they stockpiled face masks and other medical supplies.
[Cuts to video]
This morning, U.S. intelligence officials are accusing China of a coronavirus cover-up. A new report from the Department of Homeland Security, obtained by ABC News, claims the Chinese government intentionally concealed the severity of COVID-19 in early January. During that time, officials say China was also building out its own stockpile of medical supplies. And took steps to protect it. On January 14th, the WHO shared this tweet, saying China saw “no evidence of human-to-human transmission” of coronavirus.
But according to the report, as the country cornered off supplies there was a significant drop in exports. Disrupting the global supply chain for nations that needed those essential items most. Homeland Security analysis states that China produces about 80 percent of the surgical face masks. But 48 percent fewer were shipped out. Gloves were down 48 percent. And exported ventilators dropping 45 percent.
President Trump, who once praised their handling of the outbreak--
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: President XI loves the people of China, he loves his country, and he's doing a very good job with a very, very tough situation.
SCOTT: -- is now stepping up his attacks. Last week, placing the blame on China.
TRUMP: We are not happy with China. We're not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn't have spread all over the world.
[Cuts back to live]
SCOTT: The White House press secretary says China mishandled the crisis and slow-walked important information. But Chinese officials continue to deny any accusations that they covered up details about the outbreak. Whit?
WHIT JOHNSON: Still raises a lot of questions. Rachel Scott for us in Washington, thank you.
(…)
8:15:14 a.m. Eastern
HARRIS: So I want to loop back to another international story with big ramifications for us here in the United States. This U.S. intelligence report that ABC News has obtained that shows that China downplayed the severity of what was then an epidemic locally in China, with this new coronavirus, meanwhile they're hoarding medical supplies. Is this likely to lead to some sort of confrontation or retaliation on behalf of the United States?
MARTHA RADDATZ: I think it certainly could, Dan. That is a pretty alarming series of events if China was hiding this -- outright hiding this to stockpile these kinds of ventilators and masks and whatever they could stockpile. I think President Trump will probably take a very serious look at that. As you know, he's been focusing on China. He's even suggested that the virus broke out in a lab in China. So, that is something that President Trump will seriously look at to see if there's any retaliation.
HARRIS: Things have been escalating and this appears only to add to that escalation.
