Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) kicked off Thursday’s House trial on violence and discrimination against Asian Americans by tracking down the Chinese Communist Party and calling out lynchings, saying he takes ‘justice very seriously’.
The trial of the House Judiciary Committee, which was originally intended to draw attention to the marked increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence over the past few months, added urgency to a 21-year-old white man who made a deadly riot on Tuesday that left eight. death, including six Asian women.
In his opening statement, Roy first acknowledged that the shooting was a tragedy and that “victims of racial violence and their families deserve justice.” From there, however, the Texas legislature immediately criticized the nature of the trial while using some logistics.
“The case we are talking about here, the tragedy we just saw in Atlanta, Georgia,” Roy stated. ‘I would also like to suggest that the victims of cartels transporting illegal aliens deserve justice. The American citizens in the south of Texas, they are absolutely deceived by what is happening on the southern border, deserve justice. ”
The Conservative congressman continues: “The victims of riots and looting on the streets … last summer deserve justice. We believe in justice. ”
And then came an admirable reference to lynchings, a violent and public form of vigilance that most people of color knew: ‘There’s an old saying in Texas about’ find all the ropes in Texas and get a tall oak tree. ‘ . You know, we take justice very seriously. And we should do it. Round up the bad guys together. This is what we believe. (The ‘old saying’ is actually a lyric from ‘Beer for My Horses’, a song by Toby Keith.)
Roy further grumbled, “My concern about this trial is that it seems like it wants to risk the policing of rhetoric in a free society, freedom of speech and away from the rule of law and take out bad guys.”
While many have expressed growing concern that the fierce rhetoric of conservatives and former President Donald Trump over the coronavirus – including the “China virus” and “Kung flu” – could lead to heightened anti-Asian sentiment in the states led, Roy decided to start a fight against the Chinese government.
“I think the Chinese Communist Party that runs the country China, I think they are the bad guys,” Roy exclaimed. “I think they are harming people and I think they are engaging in modern slavery.”
“What they are doing to undermine our national security, and what they are doing to steal our intellectual property, and what they are doing to rattle through the Pacific, I think it is extremely evil and deserves condemnation,” he continued. “And I think what they did to hide the reality of this virus also deserves condemnation.”
Later in the trial, Representative Grace Meng (D-NY), who is of Taiwanese descent, issued a powerful reprimand from Roy and specifically singled out his attempt to use a trial on anti-Asian violence to overthrow the Chinese government. complain.
“I want to go back to something that Mr. Roy said earlier, ‘said an emotional Meng. ‘Your president and your party and your colleagues can talk about matters with any other country you want, but you do not have to do that by putting a glance at the backs of Asian Americans across the country! On our grandparents and on our children! ”
The Democratic legislature held back tears and trembled her voice, saying: ‘This trial had to address the hurt and pain of our community and find solutions! We will not allow you to take our voice away from us! ‘
In response to Meng’s remarks and the media coverage of his own remarks, Roy later issued a statement in which he doubled: ‘Apparently some people are afraid that I used an old expression to find all the ropes in Texas and a high oak over the execution justice against bad guys. I meant it. We need more justice and less thinking policing. We need to stop evildoers, such as those who carried out the attack in Atlanta this week, or cartels that abuse small children, or those who kill our police on the street. We must restore order by evaporating evil actors, and not turning America into an authoritarian state like the Chinese communists we want to destroy. No apologies. “