Liberty. Liberty. ♪
>> John: WE HAVE HAD YEARS OF
RAGING DEBATE OVER HOW TO STAY
SAFE FROM COVID WITHOUT GIVING
UP THE RIGHTS WE HAVE AS
AMERICANS BUT AS BITTERLY AS
PEOPLE HERE ARE DIVIDED, JUST
HAVING THAT DEBATE IS SOMETHING
MANY IN CHINA WOULD NEVER DARE.
THE COUNTRY WHERE THE PANDEMIC
BEGAN TRIES TO CLEAN UP THE MESS
WITH THE SO-CALLED 0 TOLERANCE
POLICY, THE WELFARE OF CHINA’S
OWN PEOPLE SEEMS TO BE AN
AFTERTHOUGHT.
AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER REPORTING
HORRIFYING STORIES OF RIGID
LOCKDOWN RULES.
MILLIONS OF CITIZENS CONFINED TO
THEIR HOMES, NOBODY IN OR OUT OF
TOWN, AND THAT COULD MEAN NO
FOOD TO FEED FAMILIES.
PEOPLE FORCED TO TRADE THEIR
VALUABLE POSSESSIONS TO FEED
THEIR STOMACHS.
SOMEONE TRADING A $300 NINTENDO
SWITCH FOR A BOX OF RAMEN
NOODLES, AND ANOTHER CITY OF 13
MILLION IN LOCKDOWN, AND A MOM
TO BE WAS UNABLE TO GET
TREATMENT FROM DOCTORS UNTIL SHE
COULD FIND A COVID TEST AND HAVE
IT PROCESSED.
THAT TURNED OUT TO BE
IMPOSSIBLE.
SHE WENT INTO A MISCARRIAGE AND
LOST HER BABY TRYING.
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE
POMPEO ALSO A FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTOR.
MR. SECRETARY, GOOD TO SEE YOU
THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
IN RELATION TO ALL OF THIS,
INCREASING CALLS FOR THE U.S.
OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO PULL OUT OF
THE BEIJING GAMES LESS THAN A
MONTH FROM NOW.
YOU HAVE LONG ADVOCATED THAT
POSITION.
AS WE APPROACH THE OLYMPIC GAMES
WEEKS AWAY NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU
SAY TO AMERICAN ATHLETES ABOUT
THEIR PARTICIPATION?
>> WELL, JOHN, THANKS FOR HAVING
ME ON.
TWO THOUGHTS COME TO MIND
IMMEDIATELY.
FIRST THE ATHLETES, THIS IS THE
PINNACLE OF THE CAREER FOR MANY
OF THEM, SPEND YEARS GETTING
READY FOR THE OLYMPICS, GREAT
RESPECT FOR THEM AND I LOVE THE
OLYMPICS THEMSELVES, A GREAT
SPORTING EVENT FOR THE WORLD.
ABOUT YOU THOSE PEOPLE IN THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST PEOPLE KNOW
THEY ARE COMING, THEY WILL
MONITOR EVERYTHING THEY DO AND
SAY, THEY WILL KEEP THOSE IN THE
HANDS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY,
AND IF ONE TALKS ABOUT THE UYGHURS IN WESTERN CHINA, TAIWAN
UYGHURS IN WESTERN CHINA, TAIWAN
OR TIENEMAN SQUARE, THEY MAY
WANT TO KEEP THEM THERE, SO
UNDERSTAND THE RISK TRAVELLING
TO THE CHINESE COMMUNIST
HOMELAND, FROM THE GLOBE
PERSPECTIVE, THE WORLD
PERSPECTIVE, THE LARGEST
AMERICAN COMPANIES, MANY
AMERICAN, WILL PUT CHINESE
PROPAGANDA ON THE WORLD AND THEY
WILL TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT IT IS,
AND THEY WILL NOT TALK ABOUT THE
TERRIBLE THINGS HE’S DONE TO HIS
OWN PEOPLE OR THE WORLD BY
HOISTING THE VIRUS ON ALL OF US.
>> John: THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
SAID IN A STATEMENT EARLIER
TODAY, WE BELIEVE THE OLYMPIC
MOVEMENT IS A FORCE FOR GOOD,
BRINGING PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES
TOGETHER AND WE ARE PROUD TO USE
OUR NAME TO RAISE ITS PROFILE
AND SUPPORT THE WORLD’S MOST
WATCHED AND REVERED
INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENT.
NO QUESTION THE OLYMPICS ARE A
FORCE FOR GOOD, BUT LIKE THE
1936 GAMES WERE IN BERLIN, A
POWERFUL FORCE OF PROPAGANDA FOR
A REPRESSIVE REGIME.
>> JOHN, THAT’S WHAT I WAS
SPEAKING TO EARLIER.
NO DOUBT THE OLYMPICS ARE A
FORCE FOR GOOD, BUT THE
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE,
SO ENTWINED WITH THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY CHOSE TO NOT
MOVE THE GAMES, THEY KNEW THEY
SHOULD NOT HOLD THEM THERE.
NOT IN THIS TYRANNY OF A REGIME
THAT IS DESIGNED TO DO SO MANY
BAD THINGS TO SO MANY PEOPLE,
DOESN’T CARE ABOUT LIFE IN THE
WAY WE DO, DOES NOT RESPECT
RIGHTS.
WHEN I HEAR COCA-COLA SAY THAT,
THEY HAVE TOLD HALF THE STORY.
I SUSPECT THEY WILL MAKE AN
AWFUL LOT OF MONEY OFF OF
ADVERTISING FROM THE GAMES BUT
WHAT THEY ARE PROMOTING, THEIR
PRESENCE IS PROMOTING, THEY ARE
PERMITTING THE CHINESE COMMUNIST
PARTY TO TELL A DIFFERENT STORY
OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CHINA AND
THE WORLD.
>> John: 1980 IN MOSCOW, THEN
SOVIET UNION INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN.
WHAT SUZANNE LYONES SAID, MANY
NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO COMPETE
AT THE OLYMPICS AGAIN, AND NO
DIPLOMATIC BENEFIT, THE SOVIET
UNION STAYED IN AFGHANISTAN
ANOTHER DECADE, SO SAYING THE
COST TO THE ATHLETES IS HUGE AND
THE DIPLOMATIC ASPECT DOES NOT
DO A WHOLE LOT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY IN RESPONSE?
>> THERE’S NO DOUBT A BOYCOTT
WOULD COST THE OLYMPIC ATHLETES
A LOT.
IF ONE IS DETAINED INSIDE OF
CHINA IT WILL COST THAT ATHLETE
AND HIS FAMILY OR HER FAMILY AN
AWFUL LOT, TOO, JOHN.
WE SHOULD BE MINDFUL THERE HAVE
BEEN AMERICANS DETAINED,
CANADIANS DETAINED FOR YEARS
DURING THE TRUM ADMINISTRATION.
THIS IS NOT UNHEARD OF.
THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO CANADA
SAID YEAH, MOST PEOPLE GET TO
LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS NOT A PLACE WHERE WE
SHOULD HAVE LOTS OF AMERICANS
TRAVELLING UNDER THIS KIND OF
HIGH RISK SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, I WON’T GET INTO THE
GEOPOLITICS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN
1980, THAT’S A LONG TIME AGO,
BUT PING IS VERY HAPPEN HE’S
HOSTING THE GAMES AND TWO WEEKS
TO BROADCAST HOW GREAT HIS
COMMUNIST PARTY IS.
>> John: MIKE POMPEO, GREAT TO
CATCH UP WITH YOU.
A LOT TO SAY IN FAVOR OF
BOYCOTTING THESE GAMES AND
SENDING A MESSAGE, BUT AS MUCH
AS WE HEAR THE HUMAN CRY ABOUT
THE OLYMPICS, WE DON’T HEAR THE
SAME ABOUT THE FACT THAT AMERICA
SUPPORTS THE REGIME BY BUYING
HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF GOODS