Sen. Rick Scott blasts WHO over its 'work for Communist China,' calls for congressional probe
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Senate Homeland Security Committee member Rick Scott, R-Fla., told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Monday Congress must investigate the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Scott accused the global health agency of doing "work for Communist China."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"At first they said in a tweet [Jan. 14] that there was no evidence that there was human to human transmission. Lie. Then they said on the 20th or something, 'China's doing a great job'. Lie," Scott said.
The U.S. taxpayers contributed $513 million to the WHO in 2017, up from $341 million the prior year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scott noted that WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, claimed President Trump's move to restrict travel from China at the end of January would create "fear and stigma with little health benefit."
"When Trump did the right thing by doing the travel ban they attacked Trump for doing the wrong thing," he said. "I asked them [the WHO] to do an investigation of China back in February ... [and] if they had done their job, everyone would have gotten more ready, we wouldn't have shut down this economy and we wouldn't have all these people dead all over the world."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So I want an investigation," Scott went on. "I am on [the] Homeland Security [committee], I talked to the chairman [Sen.] Ron Johnson [,R-Wis.], he's agreed to do it. We are going to investigate why did they do what they did, what was their purpose and then why are we as American taxpayers giving them some of our dollars."
Scott is the latest Republican lawmaker to demand Tedros step down as director general.
Last week, Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., told Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria" that she has "never trusted a communist" and added that the Chinese government's "cover-up of this virus that originated with them has caused unnecessary deaths around America and around the world ... I think Dr. Tedros needs to step down."
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McSally stepped up her criticism Friday, saying: "Dr. Tedros deceived the world. At one point, he even praised China's 'transparency during its coronavirus response efforts' despite a mountain of evidence showing the regime concealed the severity of the outbreak. This deception cost lives. "
Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.