Yesterday President Donald Trump grilled a reporter on whether or not she works for the Chinese government.
The whole story is pretty crazy but let's just say Trump's instincts were correct.
On Monday, President Donald Trump grilled a reporter on if she was working for China after she expressed pro-China sentiment during the White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing.
“Only last week there were multiple flights coming from China full of medical supplies, companies like Huawei and Alibaba has been donating to the United States like 1.5 million N95 masks and also a lot of medical gloves and much more medical supplies,” the reporter from Phoenix TV said.
“That sounds like a statement more than a question,” Trump interjected.
“The Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai last night wrote a op-ed in The New York Times calling for cooperation with the United States,” the reporter continued. “So are you personally working directly with China on medical supplies and fighting with the virus?”
“Who are your working for, China?” Trump asked. “You work for China? Who are you with?”
“Hong Kong Phoenix TV,” the reporter responded. “It’s based in Hong Kong.”
“Who owns that, China?” Trump pressed. “Is it owned by China?”
“It’s based in Hong Kong,” the reporter said.
“Is it owned by the state? Trump asked.
“No, it’s not,” the reporter claimed. “It’s a private owned company.”
The company is partially owned by a “subsidiary of the Chinese state bank.” The company’s founder and CEO, Liu Changle, was a colonel in the Chinese military.
The Washington Free Beacon reported in late 2018 that former Phoenix TV news director, Chung Pong, that Phoenix TV is controlled by China’s “Communist Propaganda Department”.
Is it time to ban Hong Kong Pheonix TV from White House press briefings?
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Coronavirus Task Force news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 6, 2020. Trump said his administration reached a deal for 3M Co. to provide an additional 55.5 million masks a month for U.S. health-care workers and others fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images