Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt lambasted the administration for ending the initiative “due to concerns over the perception of racism,” in a March 8 letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and obtained by the Epoch Times.
“I am baffled by the Department of Justice’s recent decision to discontinue the successful ‘China Initiative’ policy,” Schmitt wrote. “This policy took into account the threats to the United States from a variety of foreign actors and prudently selected the communist government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the most urgent.”
The DOJ terminated the program last month following allegations that ethnic Chinese academics were being unfairly targeted.
“But by grouping cases under the China Initiative rubric, we helped give rise to a harmful perception that the department applies a lower standard to investigate and prosecute criminal conduct related to that country or that we in some way view people with racial, ethnic or familial ties to China differently.”
Critics of the program said it had the effect of stifling U.S.-China research exchanges.
In his letter, Schmitt pointed out that the Biden administration has itself accused the CCP of targeting U.S. citizens to obtain military and trade secrets, of leading cyber campaigns against the nation, and of pursuing a campaign of intimidation against ethnic Chinese throughout America.
In light of the threat posed by the CCP, Schmitt contended that the decision to halt the program “projects weakness, emboldens our enemies, makes our country less safe, and puts at risk the personal safety of each and every American citizen.”
According to Schmitt, liberty could not be maintained at all if the nation did not pursue effective, if unpopular, security programs.
“The world is a dangerous place and liberty is not preserved with pandering and political correctness,” Schmitt said. “It is preserved by singleness of mind and mission, to constantly hone and practice the lethal skills of war, to be willing and able to meet any enemy on any field of battle and emerge victorious.”
“Anything short of this is unacceptable.”