During the House Select Committee hearing, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, evaded questions regarding his involvement in advising the delay in sanctioning Chinese officials over the Uyghur issue.
Only 20, United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) hosted Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Ely Ratner, and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, Thea Rozman Kendler, in a hearing titled “The Biden Administration’s PRC Strategy.”
The officials entered the halls of Congress following months of escalating Chinese Communist Party aggression that has been met with a tepid and inadequate response from the Biden administration.
In his opening remarks, Chairman Mike Gallagher said: “The administration has sanctioned more PRC persons for illegal fishing than it has for genocide. The problem…is that right now, good policies are stuck in the inter-agency process, in inter-agency purgatory: apparent sacrifices to the altar of zombie engagement.”
Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi on the acute threat of Chinese cyberhacking: “One of my own staff here on the Select Committee had his LinkedIn hacked. Jack was proud to join this Committee, so he went to update his LinkedIn profile, and this is what he found….This is not Jack.”
Chairman Gallagher questioned Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink about the Administration’s failure to enforce the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act.
Chairman Gallagher: “Have you ever advised Secretary Blinken or Deputy Secretary Sherman to delay sanctioning officials under the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act?”
Assistant Sec. Kritenbrink: “I’m not in a position to comment…”
Chairman Gallagher: “You don’t want to answer the question.”
