A "diverse coalition" of U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) -- have "blasted" NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for the league's initial response to Chinese criticism after Daryl Morey's tweet, according to Sylvan Lane of THE HILL. The eight lawmakers wrote a bipartisan letter saying that the NBA "caved to Chinese government demands for contrition." The letter "marks the latest escalation in congressional backlash to the NBA's handling" of the controversy. Democrats and Republicans alike have "accused the NBA and Silver for prioritizing the league's lucrative presence in China over human rights and free speech" (THEHILL.com, 10/9). In DC, Valerie Richardson notes the letter "called on the league to 'reevaluate the NBA's training camp in Xinjiang, where up to a million Chinese citizens are held in concentration camps as part of a massive, government-run campaign of ethno-religious repression'" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/10).
POLITICIANS SIGNING LETTER TO ADAM SILVER |
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) |
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) |
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) |
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) |
Rep. Tom Malinowksi (D-N.J.) |
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) |
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) |
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) |
COACH SPEAK: President Trump yesterday addressed the controversy for the first time since it began last Friday, and in DC, David Nakamura notes Trump declined to "criticize China for pressuring" the NBA to renounce Morey's tweet. He said the two sides "have to work out their own situation," and the NBA "knows what they're doing." However, Trump did accuse Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich of "'pandering to China' for failing to speak out forcefully on the matter in their own right." Both coaches have been outspoken critics of Trump (WASHINGTON POST, 10/10).
TOUGH DECISIONS: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on PBS' "NewsHour" yesterday, saying, "American businesses have the right to make the decisions that they make, as long as they're lawful. They will have to make their own business decisions, but I think not only what we saw this week, but this has been going on for some time; I think American businesses are waking up to the risks that attend to their company" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/10).
