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Actually, when the history of the New Cold War is written, they will remember Matt Pottinger as the DNSA who ran America's initial COVID response and focused 100% of his energy on using COVID to bash China's system (instead of trying to shore up America's defenses)
1/ https://twitter.com/RepGallagher/status/1321184678926258176
1/ https://twitter.com/RepGallagher/status/1321184678926258176
From the CGP - Matt Pottinger and Robert O'Brien ran America's initial COVID response from January to at least January 31. Key text below: Pottinger understood this was the NSC's moment to repair its damaged reputation (thanks to Bolton deleting the NSC biodefense team)
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At least January 31, since, according to this March 30 WaPo article from Pottinger's close friend Josh Rogin, Pottinger was in charge of the COVID-19 meetings until at least late February
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/30/national-security-council-sounded-early-alarms-about-coronavirus/
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/30/national-security-council-sounded-early-alarms-about-coronavirus/
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Put another way, Pottinger *volunteered* himself and the NSC for this job. For at least 3 (and potentially up to 6) critical weeks, Matt Pottinger ran America's COVID response. But what did he focus on? Not masks. Not tests. Not contact tracing. No. All he did...
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...was 1) shut down travel between the US and China, 2) think of ways to blame the virus on China, 3) try to figure out ways to defund the WHO, and 4) push the conspiracy theory that the virus originated in a Wuhan disease research lab
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Nearly all of the sheer zero-sum stupidity of how the Trump administration reacted to COVID can be laid at Matt Pottinger's feet. But instead of making amends, what has Matt been doing since then? Why, trying even harder to blame China for COVID, of course
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What's tragic about this isn't just 225,000+ preventable US deaths from Matt's attempt to play hero. No, it's that his desire to deflect this massive cock-up and to create a Cold War 2 drove him to sell one of the biggest of Big Lies ever - that it was all China's fault
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All of the 3,000+ racist attacks Asian-Americans have experienced from the "China Virus"; all of the permanent despair Chinese-Americans now face; all of the unknowable future deaths from this new Cold War we are hurtling into - can be laid at his feet.
He needs to own it.
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He needs to own it.
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I have many other gripes with Matt: his sanctimonious facade hiding a deeply venal and glory-seeking psyche, his insufferable belief that he alone knows all the answers, and his inability to move beyond a 12-year-old's Manichean worldview even at age 46, but...
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...the fact that he decided to pin 225,000 deaths that HIS ACTIONS CAUSED on China (and Chinese- and Asian-Americans) makes me question whether he should even be considered a human being anymore
So, @timeswang, this is why you should not hold him as some positive example
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So, @timeswang, this is why you should not hold him as some positive example
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