House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spoke out on Friday to say that Democrats are too “mired in ambivalence” to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for the coronavirus pandemic.

To mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, McCarthy released a statement pointing out that the Chinese Communist Party has covered up its abuses for decades.

“Thirty-two years ago, ordinary Chinese students and citizens took a peaceful and courageous stand for the freedom that all people deserve,” McCarthy said. “To this day, I remain firmly committed to sharing the story of their bravery and sacrifice with the world: peaceful pro-democracy students were brutally massacred by their own government for standing up for freedom.

“Despite promising reforms for decades, the Chinese people are no closer to freedom from government oppression today than they were in 1989,” he added. “Last year showed exactly what kind of actor the Chinese Communist Party truly is. It responded to the outbreak by silencing doctors and imprisoning its citizens. It selfishly hoarded medical supplies and lied to the world, creating a global catastrophe. And from the beginning, it has tried to use the virus as a smokescreen to cover further aggression, from horrific abuses of human rights in Xinjiang to snuffing out democracy in Hong Kong.”

“Unfortunately, its brazen cover-up has been aided for over a year by political bias, groupthink, self-censorship in the global press and public health bureaucracy,” McCarthy continued.

“As the CCP seeks to erase any memory of what happened in Tiananmen Square, it continues to do the same on its responsibility for COVID-19. Americans deserve to know the truth,” the Republican said. “That is why House Republicans have been calling for a full investigation into the origins of COVID-19 since day one and continue across multiple committees to push for transparency and demand answers on behalf of the American people. Meanwhile, Democrats have been mired by ambivalence to holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable for this global health pandemic.”

“The CCP can try to suppress its people, but America will never fall silent,” he concluded. “Just as we stand united to remember Tiananmen Square, the abuses in Hong Kong and the atrocities in Xinjiang, we must speak out with one voice to get the truth about COVID. We will need to work together to hold the Chinese government accountable, protect our people, and ensure a more secure future.”