On the matter of free speech, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday publicly disagreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's previous warning to US athletes about speaking out against China at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The Biden administration's message this week is that the "world will be watching" if Beijing attempts to meddle with US athletes speaking their mind.
A reporter asked Psaki at the White House press briefing:
"On the Olympics, does the White House agree with Speaker Nancy Pelosi that American athletes shouldn’t speak out against Beijing for their own safety?"
Psaki responded to the member of the press: "Well I know we saw those comments, obviously, I think they were last week if I remember it correctly."
"The President’s view is that first we support our athletes 100 percent," Psaki said. "All athletes have the right to freely express themselves, and that is the case in Beijing at the Olympics. It is the case anywhere."
"They will make those choices as individuals. It’s the responsibility of China to live up to its own obligations to maintain a safe environment for all athletes at these games. The world will be watching. But we leave it up to individuals; we certainly support the right to peaceful protest," Psaki concluded.
The stated theme thus far by Psaki has been, while leaders in DC and internationally have invoked a diplomatic boycott to protest China's human rights abuses, Americans ought to still cheer on their country's athletes, regardless.
It was last Thursday when Pelosi publicly warned US athletes to not criticize the government when overseas in China for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
In those comments, the House Speaker worried for the safety of the American athletes and their families when urging caution.
Elsewhere, athletes like Russia's Valeria Vasnetsova have publicly complained about the lack of appropriate equipment, internet access, or even basic edible food given to the Olympians by their hosts in China.
So far, the ratings for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games are a steep decline (down 43 percent), when compared to 2018's edition held in PyeongChang, South Korea.
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