China's threat of retaliation if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy travels to Taiwan has Rep. Carlos Giménez, R-Fla., "frankly," he told Newsmax on Tuesday, "a little insulted."
Joining "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Giménez sounded off on statements by former Chinese officials, emphasizing Taiwan is an independent country and "an ally of the United States."
"Who is the Chinese Communist Party to tell our speaker where they can go and where they can't go?" Giménez said, adding the U.S. has "vowed to be with Taiwan" in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Taiwan is "critical to our chip production and critical to many of the elements that make our life better here in the United States," he continued. "So, yeah, I think it's a good idea that the speaker go. And frankly, I'm a little insulted that the Chinese would threaten us in that manner."
His comments arrive in the backdrop of the South China Morning Post citing several CCP observers who claim McCarthy's potential visit to Taiwan would likely prompt a Chinese military response.
Retired People's Liberation Army Col. Yue Gang said China would "definitely" retaliate with military exercises but would not treat McCarthy like his predecessor — Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. — when she visited last year.
"It might not even be half of the level when Pelosi visited," Yue said of the Chinese response. "The message we delivered [last time] was strong enough, [this kind of visit] could not change the status of the Taiwan Strait."
Punchbowl News first revealed McCarthy's potential visit to the island nation Monday, sourcing an anonymous U.S. official who claimed the Pentagon was in the early stages of developing the trip.
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