Cotton pitches tariffs on China to make it pay for ‘unleashing’ COVID-19 – Washington Examiner

Asher NotheisJanuary 26, 2025

Senator Tom‌ Cotton (R-AR) recently stated that China should be held accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that the virus likely originated from‌ a lab ‌leak ⁢in China, as concluded by the ‌CIA. Following this⁤ revelation,he called ‌for actions such as imposing tariffs on China and revoking its most favored nation status to penalize it for what he described as “unleashing” the virus on the world,along with its impact on American jobs ‍and businesses. Cotton praised the CIA’s new director, John Ratcliffe, for making the agency’s findings public and stressed the need for ⁣the CIA to regain public trust by being clear‌ about its intelligence. Additionally, Cotton ‌discussed President Trump’s recent decision to remove security details from several former government officials, suggesting that‍ this could pose risks due to potential threats, particularly from⁣ Iran.

Cotton pitches tariffs on China to make it pay for ‘unleashing’ COVID-19

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said on Sunday that China should face consequences for “unleashing” COVID-19 on the world after the CIA concluded that COVID-19 most likely originated from a Chinese lab leak.

The CIA switched its view on the origin of COVID-19 on Saturday, with the change coming shortly after the agency’s new director, John Ratcliffe, was confirmed by the Senate. Cotton commended Ratcliffe for making the agency’s new view public but also said China should face some consequences.

“The important thing now is that we have to make China pay for unleashing this plague on the world, just like we have to make them pay for stealing our jobs and harming American workers and businesses by doing things like imposing tariffs on them, on strategically critical goods, or passing my legislation to repeal their permanent most favored nation status,” Cotton said in a Fox News interview.

Ratcliffe detailed the agency’s newly-held belief on Sunday, citing how it is important for the public to see the agency “get off the sidelines” and tell the truth about what the CIA’s intelligence is showing. He also stressed the need for the agency to both protect the public and regain its trust.

Cotton also addressed Trump’s recent decision to revoke the security detail for multiple former high-profile government officials, encouraging the president to “revisit” this decision due to the danger that Iran poses to these individuals. The Arkansas senator cited how Iran is “committed to vengeance” against all the former officials who have now lost their security and that it is better to be “safe than sorry.”

Among the officials who lost the security detail is former national security adviser John Bolton, who said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Trump’s decision. He also suggested the president’s decision is part of a “retribution campaign” against his critics.