GOP Rep. Banks: Need ‘Better Leadership’ from Esper on China

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) applauded Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his leadership on “this new cold war” with the threat of China and stated that Pompeo is “the adult in the room,” and stated that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper should show “better leadership” and that Esper needs to “step up to the plate with Secretary Pompeo and the FBI director as well.”

Banks praised Pompeo’s speech on China on Thursday “calling for the rest of the free world to join the United States of America in that cause. Because now — if we don’t do something about this now, the time has run out to ever do something about it, this new cold war, addressing the China threat.”

He added, “I’m grateful, again, for Secretary Pompeo being the adult in the room, advising this president, the president bringing along a team that’s led by Secretary Pompeo to do that. Shutting down the consulate in Houston was a big step. We need to — they need to shut it down fully. … We need better leadership from Secretary Esper to step up to the plate with Secretary Pompeo and the FBI director as well.”

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