People participate in a protest against the closing of businesses and stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus, in Las Vegas。
據美國政治新聞網站Politico 4月24日報道，美國共和黨參議院全國委員會向黨內競選團隊發送了一篇備忘錄，建議共和黨候選人通過積極攻擊中國來回應新冠疫情相關問題。
據Politico報道，這篇備忘錄長達57頁，由共和黨戰略師撰寫，對如何回應新冠疫情相關問題做了詳盡指導。包括如何應對種族歧視的指控，如何指證中國政府對疫情的“掩蓋”，以及如何把民主黨與中國捆綁在一起並指出他們對待中國“態度軟弱”等。
The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent campaigns a memo authored by a top Republican strategist advising GOP candidates to address the coronavirus crisis by aggressively attacking China, Politico reported Friday.
The detailed, 57-page memo includes guiding candidates how to deflect public anger on racism to the "cover-up" of the Chinese government and to tie Democratic candidates to the Chinese government, accusing them of being "soft on China."
備忘錄稱，“面對新冠病毒，中國‘肇事逃逸’，隨後掩蓋事實並導致成千上萬人死亡”，並建議共和黨人“積極推動對中國的制裁”，因為“中國導致了新冠肺炎疫情的蔓延”。
若被問及“美國疫情蔓延是否是特朗普的過錯”，該備忘錄敦促共和黨候選人把矛頭指向中國。
“除了提及對中國的旅行禁令外，不要為特朗普辯護，應轉而攻擊中國。”
"Coronavirus was a Chinese hit-and-run followed by a cover-up that cost thousands of lives," the April 17 memo states and Republicans will "push for sanctions on China for its role in spreading this pandemic."
The memo urged candidates to pivot to China when responding to questions on whether the spread of the coronavirus is Trump's fault.
"Don't defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban – attack China," the memo states.
對此，中國外交部發言人華春瑩發推文作出回應。
“真是一個好劇本，看看吧！”
國內外網友也紛紛給出自己的評價：
“典型的美國作風：所有美國人的幸福必須建立在別人的痛苦之上。”
“可恥。美國導演的一出荒唐戲。”
“美國政客的日常：
1.譴責中國
2.把消毒劑注射到體內
3.吸收紫外線抗擊病毒
真棒！#特朗普”
People wait for distribution of masks and food in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, U.S./AP
在共和黨看來，攻擊中國是提升支持率的絕佳途徑。事實上，他們中的一些人已經在執行這個競選策略了。
共和黨參議員湯姆·科頓敦促將中國作為競選活動的核心話題，並呼籲國會和總統共同努力實現這一目標。
密蘇里州共和黨參議員喬什·霍利，則在競選活動中呼籲允許確診新冠肺炎的美國人起訴中國政府。
Republicans find attacking China a perfect strategy to salvage popularity ratings and crack down on rivals, and many have already done so in their 2020 campaigns.
Senator Tom Cotton was one of the representatives who urged Senate candidates to make China a centerpiece of their campaign and called for Congress and the president to work together to make it happen.
Josh Hawley, a first-term Missouri senator, appealed for Americans with COVID-19 to be allowed to sue the Chinese government in his campaigns.
撰寫此備忘錄的人名叫佈雷特·奧唐內爾，是一位資深共和黨戰略師。他曾擔任國務卿蓬佩奧和阿肯色州參議員湯姆·科頓的顧問。目前，奧唐內爾拒絕對此事作出評論。
當被問及此備忘錄時，共和黨參議院全國委員會發言人傑西·亨特表示，委員會每週發放不同的文件和信息源只是“例行公事”，尤其是在當前的“動盪局勢”下。
The NRSC memo was authored by the political consulting firm of Brett O' Donnell, a veteran Republican strategist who has advised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Cotton. O'Donnell declined to comment.
When asked about the document, NRSC spokesman Jesse Hunt said it was "routine" for the committee to send different documents and sources of information every week, especially in these "volatile times."
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, has called on countries to come together to fight COVID-19. /AFP
“譴責中國是否涉及種族歧視？”
對於這個問題，備忘錄建議共和黨候選人這麼回答：“沒有人責怪華裔美國人。是中國共產黨掩蓋病毒真相造成了疫情蔓延，應追究他們的責任。”
對於美國共和黨稱中國“隱瞞疫情信息”的言論，世衛組織表示不能接受，並指出中方一直在與美方專家展開密切合作，中國政府從疫情暴發之初就對所有國家公開疫情信息。
The memo also includes guidance on what Republican candidates can say when asked whether blaming China for the pandemic incites racism.
According to Politco, candidates are urged to respond by saying: "No one is blaming Chinese Americans. This is the fault of the Chinese Communist Party for covering up the virus and lying about its danger. This caused the pandemic and they should be held accountable."
The GOP's attempt to blame China for covering up the information was rejected by the WHO, which stated that it has been working closely with experts from the United States, especially after the coronavirus outbreak, and all the information has been open to every country from the beginning.
此前，《華盛頓郵報》曝出重磅消息，揭露特朗普政府早在疫情暴發之初，就已通過世衛組織的美國員工獲取了疫情的實時信息。
據皮尤研究中心（Pew Research Center）調查顯示，有65％的美國人認為特朗普對疫情的反應較晚，只有39％的人認為特朗普對疫情的描述符合實際情況，73％的成年人認為最糟糕的情況還未來臨。
不論美國政客怎樣對中國進行汙衊和栽贓，他們都無法改變一個事實：美國是全球確診病例最多的國家，其確診病例數是位居第二的西班牙確診病例數的四倍多。美國新冠肺炎死亡病例數也居世界之首。
據約翰斯·霍普金斯大學數據顯示，截至4月26日下午4點31分，美國新冠肺炎確診病例數已達939249例，死亡病例數已達53934例。
A Washington Post report gave another blow by revealing that Trump's administration was aware of the real-time information on COVID-19 pandemic as early as the crisis unfolded from U.S. officials at WHO.
Surveys conducted by Pew Research Center showed that 65 percent of Americans believe Trump responded late to the outbreak in terms of government's response, just 39 percent believe Trump portrays the real situation while 73 percent of the adults believe the worst is still to come.
Whatever rhetoric politicians use to blame China, they cannot change the fact that the U.S. remain as the country with the most confirmed cases, four times more than Spain, the second-ranking country on the list, along with the most deaths in the world.
關鍵字: was Chinese candidates
