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NBC News anchor Chuck Todd warned critics of China to choose their words wisely following last week's deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.
There has been a growing push by the mainstream media and the Democratic Party to declare the violence that took place in Georgia as a hate crime since six of the eight victims were Asian-Americans, despite the lack of evidence from the investigation so far.
During a panel discussion on Sunday's "Meet The Press," Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent stressed that "words matter" before condemning then-President Trump's rhetoric pinning the coronavirus pandemic on China, which Ralston insisted "clearly exacerbated" the growing hate crime rate towards Asian-Americans.
Before wrapping up the discussion, Todd offered politicians advice on their rhetoric toward Beijing.
"All these elected officials, when they talk about China, the country as a rival and an adversary to this country, be careful of your words. That matters, too," Todd said. "I know there's a lot of fear that as the rivalry heats up with China, that these hateful incidents will also increase here."
New York Times contributing opinion writer and CNN contributor Peter Beinart offered a similar stance, tweeting "Condemning anti-Asian violence isn't enough. America's leaders must also combat the panic about China that is fueling it."
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Investigators said Wednesday that the suspected gunman, 21-year-old Robert Long, told them he was motivated by a "sexual addiction" and added that racism "did not appear to be the motive". Long has since been charged with multiple counts of murder and assault.
FBI Director Christopher Wray similarly stated that racism does not appear to be an evidentiary role in the shootings.
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