Scalise: Why Does Pelosi Want To Cover For China?

Statement

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and members of the GOP Doctors Caucus to call out Speaker Pelosi for refusing to instruct her committee chairs to join House Republicans in investigating the origins of COVID-19 and examine claims that the coronavirus started in a Chinese lab. In addition, Whip Scalise announced that because Democrats on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis refuse to hold a hearing about the origins of COVID-19, Republicans on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis will lead their own hearing to probe this critical issue.

Whip Scalise's remarks:

"Today, we are here with the Doctors Caucus to talk about something we've been calling on for a long time, and that is demanding actual accountability and demanding that Speaker Pelosi hold hearings to investigate the origins of COVID-19. For more than a year now, House Republicans have been making these calls as we've heard more and more reports and evidence mounting that this evil virus may have started in the Wuhan lab. The fact is as more emails become uncovered, that evidence grows daily, and yet Speaker Pelosi still refuses to hold a hearing on the origins of COVID-19.

"Why would Speaker Pelosi want to try to cover up for what China did? We know the Chinese Communist Party lied and withheld information in those early days -- and I'm sure beyond -- on what happened, what was going in that lab, and around Wuhan, that ultimately was spread throughout the world. Here in the United States, we have had over 600,000 deaths. Nearly four million worldwide, and yet Speaker Pelosi still refuses to hold a hearing into the origin of this virus.

"Well, House Republicans are not going to stand idly by. Next week, Republicans on the Select Committee on the Coronavirus [Crisis] will be having a hearing into the origins of COVID-19. That will happen here on Tuesday. We've invited many respected doctors, scientists, as well as Members of Congress who have been investigating this on their own, to come forward and testify. I still would call on Speaker Pelosi to have the committees of jurisdiction have these hearings as well. Where subpoena powers can be used to bring people in, compel people to come and bring the information forward, and put it on the table so that America and the world can know what really happened [and] how this started.

"And if it did start in that lab, to know how it started in the lab. Was it intentional? Even if it was an accident, which by the way, would make it exponentially worse than Chernobyl. But if it did happen by accident, we should all be demanding answers to how we prevent this from happening again. And so, as Speaker Pelosi refuses, we're going to continue as House Republicans to demand those answers, and along with the Doctors Caucus, I'm proud now to introduce our Conference Chair Elise Stefanik."

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