GILLIAN: AN AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER CLAIMS TO HAVE AN
INTELLIGENCE DOSSIER FROM WHAT’S
KNOWN AT THE FIVE EYES, THE U.S.
AND EUROPEAN ALLIES JOINT
INTELLIGENCE SHARING GROUP.
THE DOCUMENT REPORTEDLY LAYS OUT
THE EXTENT TO WHICH CHINA’S
GOVERNMENT COVERED UP THE TRUE
NATURE AND THE EXTENT OF THE
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK FROM THE
EARLIEST DAYS IN WUHAN, THIS IS
A STORY THAT FOX NEWS WAS FIRST
TO BREAK TWO WEEKS AGO.
JOINING US IS THE PRESIDENT AND
CEO OF THE CENTER FOR SECURITY
POLICY, HE’S ALSO A FORMER WHITE
HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
CHIEF OF STAFF IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, FRED FLIGHTS.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME
TODAY.
TODAY. I WANT TO ASK YOU FIRST UP ABOUT
THIS DOSSIER.
THIS DOSSIER. IT DOESN’T CONTAIN ANYTHING,
FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL, THAT’S
NEW, THAT GOES BEYOND WHAT FOX
NEWS HAS REPORTED ABOUT WHAT
CHINA KNEW AND WHEN.
BUT IT IS, IF VERIFIED, AN UPON
CONFIRMATION THAT OTHER
COUNTRIES IN THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY, THE U.S.’S KEY
ALLIES, AGREE WITH US IN TERMS
OF AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT KNEW AND
WHEN.
WHEN. >> THAT’S RIGHT, GILLIAN.
THIS IS A JOINT INTELLIGENCE
ASSESSMENT BY FIVE WESTERN
NATIONS THAT CLOSELY COOPERATE
ON INTELLIGENCE, THE U.S., U.K.,
CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW
ZEALAND AND YOU’RE RIGHT,
THERE’S NOTHING NEW IN IT BUT
WHAT’S SIGNIFICANT HERE IS THAT
IT HELPS US MAKE THE POINT THAT
ACCUSATIONS THAT CHINA IS GUILTY
OF VERY SERIOUS MISCONDUCT,
POSSIBLY CRIMINAL MENTION IN
HANDLING THE VIRUS, THIS IS NOT
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING THIS,
THERE IS A GROWING INTERNATIONAL
CONSENSUS, NOT JUST THAT CHINA
MISHANDLED THIS BUT A SERIOUS
CHINESE WRONG-DOING, OF THE
GOVERNMENT RETALIATING AGAINST
SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS WHO TRIED
TO WARN ABOUT THE SERIOUSNESS OF
THE VIRUS IN DECEMBER OF 2019,
OF DESTROYING SAMPLES, OF LYING
ABOUT HUMAN TO HUMAN TRANSITION
AND MOST IMPORTANT AND THIS IS
THE IN DOCUMENT, THAT ALTHOUGH
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN
WUHAN IN JANUARY OF 2020 TO STOP
THE VIRUS FROM SPREADING ACROSS
CHINA, IT DID NOT CUT OFF
INTERNATIONAL AIR FLIGHTS WHICH
ALLOWED THIS VIRUS TO SEED
ITSELF AROUND THE WORLD.
AND I THINK THIS IS GOING TO
HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON
CHINA’S GLOBAL REPUTATION.
GILLIAN: YEAH, AND WE NOW KNOW
THAT AS A RESULT OF FAILING TO
SHUT DOWN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
DURING THE EARLIEST WEEKS OF THE
OUTBREAK, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
POTENTIALLY I’M EXPECTED CHAI --
INFECTED CHINESE CITIZENS FROM
WUHAN TRAVELED TO OTHER NATIONS
AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING THE
UNITED STATES AND EUROPE.
FRED, WHAT DO YOU THINK NOW --
WHEN WE LOOK FORWARD HERE, WHAT
DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST WAY FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NATIONAL
SECURITY TEAM TO HOLD THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE?
IS THERE A WAY TO REALLY DO
THAT?
THAT? >> WELL, THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT
WANT TO DESTROY RELATIONS WITH
CHINA.
CHINA. HE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP GOOD
RELATIONS AND TO PROTECT THE
GAINS HE’S MADE IN TRADE TALKS
BUT THE EVIDENCE HAS BECOME SO
OVERWHELMING OF MISCONDUCT BY
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, THE NSE
RIGHT NOW IS CONSIDERING WHETHER
MAYBE WE SHOULD PUSH FOR REPAR
ATIONS, WHETHER WE SHOULD REMOVE
SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY LIMITATIONS.
I THINK WE NEED TO USE THIS
PRESSURE TO GET CHINA TO
COOPERATE IN AN INTERNATIONAL
INVESTIGATION OF WHAT HAPPENED
AT THE VIROLOGY LABS IN WUHAN,
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE WET MARKETS
AND AGREE TO INTERNATIONAL
SUPERVISION OF DANGEROUS
BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH.
BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. GILLIAN: FRED, IN FIVE SECONDS
OR LESS, CAN YOU TELL US IF YOU
AGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT’S
DECISION TO CUT OFF FUNDING
TEMPORARILY FROM THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION?
HEALTH ORGANIZATION? >> I THINK IT WAS THE RIGHT MOVE
AND IT’S HAVING AN EFFECT.
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION IS
ASKING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL
INVESTIGATION OF WHAT HAPPENED
IN WUHAN, SOMETHING THAT CHINA
HAS REFUSED TO COOPERATE WITH.
GILLIAN: WE’VE GOT TO LEAVE IT
THERE BUT FRED FLIGHTS FROM THE
CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY,