Staff Reports
Senator Marsha Blackburn has put the blame where it belongs for a recent surge of Chinese social media bots targeting conservative lawmakers: squarely on the Biden administration’s feeble approach to Beijing. Blackburn has made it clear that the administration’s so-called “friendliness” with the Chinese government has turned out to be a double-edged sword, sharpening the knives used in a disinformation campaign that seems aimed directly at downballot Republicans as the November elections loom. It’s almost as if these bots have been given a free pass, courtesy of Team Biden.
Blackburn isn’t holding back when she asserts that the Chinese disinformation campaign shouldn’t come as a surprise. Her sentiments echo a popular belief among conservatives that the current administration is allowing China to sidestep accountability. Blackburn, along with her comrades who have been vocal about the need for tough sanctions and accountability from China, now finds herself as one of the hunted—thanks to an administration that makes nice with an adversary known for stolen jobs and a certain, um, global health crisis.
What’s particularly galling is the notion that China is sending a message to lawmakers who dare to challenge their misdeeds. Blackburn argues that the lack of robust action from Washington has emboldened the Chinese regime. Rather than standing firm and demanding compliance with trade deals, the administration has been known to lift sanctions, which surely sends the message that China can dance around any commitments it has made in the past.
Blackburn blames Chinese bot election attack on a weak Biden administration https://t.co/fbBnxv7MqG
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 25, 2024
The social media circus targeting Blackburn is all too familiar. Reports indicate that these bots accuse her of taking campaign contributions from opioid manufacturers, an attempt to undermine her credibility just weeks before the election. To kick it up a notch, they are also pushing a challenger, Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson, trying to paint a clear partisan target on Blackburn’s back while simultaneously taking cues from the Communist Party’s playbook.
As Congress is currently absent from Washington’s hallowed halls until after the election, the question of legislative action to fight this foreign interference hangs in the air. Blackburn has hinted at discussions among her colleagues, but will there be any real traction? After all, the need for bipartisan action against Chinese aggression should be a no-brainer—unless one believes that these online shenanigans are merely harmless antics of a foreign adversary.
With Blackburn put in the crosshairs along with fellow Republicans like Michael McCaul, Barry Moore, and Marco Rubio, it’s increasingly clear that Beijing is not just focused on the future, but actively working to undermine American democracy right now. Instead of hiding behind a curtain of diplomacy, it’s high time the Biden administration recognized that China’s ambitions go beyond economic competition; they aim for global dominance by mid-century. If lawmakers can’t unite to counter this threat, conservatives everywhere will have to question how much longer America can play nice while the Chinese Communist Party takes a victory lap.
