Lankford, Colleagues Warn CCP Against Violent Crackdown on Protesters

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), along with Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and colleagues, sent a bipartisan letter to the Chinese ambassador to the United States warning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime of the consequences of a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters. Demonstrations have erupted across China in response to the CCP’s severe measures restricting freedoms to contain rising COVID-19 infections.

“We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. If that happens, we believe there will be grave consequences for the US-China relationship, causing extraordinary damage to it,” the senators wrote.

In addition to Lankford, Sullivan, and Merkley, the letter is signed by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Thune (R-SD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Todd Young (R-IN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Barrasso (R-WY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Tim Scott (R-SC), Rob Portman (R-OH), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Mike Braun (R-IN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Richard Burr (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Mike Crapo (R-ID).

Full text of the letter here.