Surfeit of Stupidity Strikes GOP, with Cruz Calling Beijing ‘Century’s Greatest Geopolitical Threat’

May 5, 2020 (EIRNS)—There is no dearth of stupidity—or worse—among Republican lawmakers who are hellbent on holding China “accountable” for every perceived evil they can find.

The Washington Examiner reports today on the letter written to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos by ranking Republican members of seven House committees, saying that her efforts to scrutinize foreign investment in U.S. higher education is particularly important, given nefarious Chinese “strategic investment” in U.S. universities. Signed by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, and Rep. Devin Nunes of California, among others, the letter expresses concern “about the potential for the Chinese government to use its strategic investments to turn American college campuses into indoctrination platforms for American students.”

This, they say, raises the question of whether American universities that receive federal taxpayer dollars “should be allowed to accept funds from China, the CCP or other affiliated organizations” because “the interests of the two nations appear to have diverged.” The authors demand that DeVos reply to them by May 11 providing all information and communications between the department and schools being “scrutinized” for foreign funding, including investigations into those that may have “misled about their foreign donations.” Shades of McCarthyism.

From the Senate, Chuck Grassley (R-IA) penned a letter in March to 70 U.S. schools and universities that host Confucius Institutes, asking them to meet with federal law enforcement to get a “full understanding of the risks to both your institution and our national security” posed by Chinese “influence” on campus. Grassley pointed to warnings from the intelligence community and other U.S. agencies, that the Chinese government uses the Confucius Institutes “as a propaganda tool within the United States.”

Among many other Republican lawmakers howling that China must be “held accountable” for deliberately spreading the coronavirus pandemic, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is the worst. Speaking May 2 on Fox’s “Justice [sic] with Judge Jeanine,” Cruz called for a total reassessment of the U.S.-China relationship, raving that “China is, in my judgment, the single greatest geopolitical threat the United States faces over the next century.” He boasted that he has four bills he’s introducing this week, one of which, he said, will “impose strict sanctions on Chinese government officials who covered up the pandemic.” He also waxed ecstatic about the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing relationship, but warned it had been seriously “compromised,” because the U.K. had made a deal with Huawei on 5G technology.