Mike Pompeo: US athletes should boycott Beijing Olympics, not ‘prop up’ Xi Jinping

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Pompeo calls for athletes to boycott Beijing Olympics

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls for American athletes to boycott the Beijing Olympics on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo didn’t equivocate Wednesday night during an appearance on Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle." He called for the U.S. and its athletes to boycott next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.

So far, the Biden administration has called only for a diplomatic boycott of the Games – citing human rights concerns inside China – but in late December Chinese officials called the move "baffling," noting that the U.S. was still requesting visas for government officials to attend the Games.

Host Laura Ingraham warned the Olympics were about to become "a massive P.R. coup" for Chinese President Xi Jinping if the U.S. didn’t bolster its response – and Pompeo appeared to agree.

CHINA PLEDGES TO CONTINUE TO ‘MODERNIZE’ NUCLEAR ARSENAL, CALLS ON US, RUSSIA TO MAKE GREATER CUTS

MIKE POMPEO: Look, I’ve been calling for us not to let our athletes go to Beijing for a long time now. I really regret that the leadership of the United States and the IOC have failed these athletes.

I love the Olympics like anybody. My mother took me to the L.A. Olympics [in summer 1984]. I saw Carl Lewis run. We were sitting in some really high-up seats at the L.A. Coliseum. I love this event.

But … we shouldn’t prop up Xi Jinping.

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