Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, alongside 16 other state attorneys general, has signed on to a letter asking Congress to investigate China’s role in the coronavirus pandemic.
The letter is dated May 9, and was primarily authored by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
“[W]e are writing to ask for Congressional Hearings into the communist Chinese Government and its role in the COVID-19 pandemic,” begins the letter, which is addressed to the leadership of both chambers in the U.S. Congress.
The attorneys general are alarmed about reports which “suggest that the communist Chinese government willfully and knowingly concealed information about the severity of the virus while simultaneously stockpiling personal protective equipment.”
Many Republican leaders have taken tough stances on China in recent weeks as consensus has grown around the nation’s communist government having a role in covering up the initial coronavirus outbreak.
Marshall himself was urged by Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl to sue China for damages caused by COVID-19.
Carl is in a runoff for the Republican nomination in the race to represent Alabama’s First Congressional District. His opponent, former State Senator Bill Hightower (R-Mobile), has sent supporters messages urging them to “Stand up to Communist China.”
The Alabama politician most vocal on China has been former Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who has released a multi-part plan to counter what he sees as “China’s cold blooded drive for power.”
Sessions served as Alabama Attorney General in the 1990s and served as the first U.S. Attorney General under President Donald Trump. He is currently seeking his old Senate seat.
President of the Alabama Public Service Commission Twinkle Cavanaugh told Yellowhammer News, “We’ve reached zero hour for action against China.”
One of the attorneys general in Marshall’s letter has already filed a lawsuit against China for damages caused by COVID-19. The letter says that “many of us are considering similar legal actions.”
“Congressional hearings are critical to our Nation’s understanding of the origins of COVID- 19 and efforts by the communist Chinese government to deceive the international community. We appreciate your consideration of our request and we all stand ready to support and participate in any hearings you choose to conduct,” the letter concludes.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
