Pompeo Calls China Virus Response ‘Paltry’ Compared to Damage Done

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the $2 billion Beijing pledged to fight the pandemic “paltry” compared to the hundreds of thousands of lives lost

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media at the State Department in Washington on May 20, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/Pool via Reuters

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took fresh aim at China over the CCP virus on Wednesday, calling the $2 billion Beijing has pledged to fight the pandemic “paltry” compared to the hundreds of thousands of lives lost and trillions of dollars of damage.

Pompeo rejected President Xi Jinping’s claim that Beijing had acted with transparency after the outbreak in China, and said if Xi wanted to show that, he should hold a news conference and allow reporters to ask him anything they liked.