Former U.S. foreign-policy Mike Pompeo didn’t equivocate Wednesday night during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.” He called for the U.S. and its athletes to boycott next month’s Winter olympics” target=”_blank”>Olympics< of the Games – citing human rights concerns inside China – but in late December world-regions officials called the move “baffling,” noting that the U.S. was still requesting visas for government officials to attend the Games.
Host Laura Ingraham warned the Olympics were about to become “a massive P.R. coup” for Chinese President Xi Jinping if the U.S. didn’t bolster its response – and Pompeo appeared to agree.
CHINA PLEDGES TO CONTINUE TO ‘MODERNIZE’ NUCLEAR ARSENAL, CALLS ON US, RUSSIA TO MAKE GREATER CUTS
MIKE POMPEO: Look, I’ve been calling for us not to let our athletes go to Beijing for a long time now. I really regret that the leadership of the United States and the IOC have failed these athletes.
I love the Olympics like anybody. My mother took me to the L.A. Olympics [in summer 1984]. I saw Carl Lewis run. We were sitting in some really high-up seats at the L.A. Coliseum. I love this event.
But … we shouldn’t prop up Xi Jinping.
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