The U.S. should use the United Nations International Court of Justice to hold China accountable and force the communist country to pay for the financial cost of mismanaging and covering up the extent of the novel coronavirus outbreak currently plaguing the world, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) told Breitbart News Saturday.

Banks’ suggestion came after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow Americans to sue Beijing in U.S. federal court for “death, injury, and economic harm caused by the Wuhan Virus.”

Asked how the U.S. can force China, the birthplace of the coronavirus, to pay reparations for the calamitous disease-linked damages inflicted on the world, Rep. Banks, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle, “I think the International Court of Justice is a key piece of that.”

The International Court of Justice is charged with settling, in accordance with international law, legal disputes between countries. 

Members of American President Donald Trump’s administration can use the U.N. court “to call on” China “to pay back this enormous cost [linked to the coronavirus pandemic], not just to write off the [U.S.] national debt, but to pay the cost around the world for the pain and suffering of people, especially right here in northeast Indiana,” he said.

If China, the birthplace of the coronavirus, refuses to come before the court, “that would give the United States justification to do a few significant things,” including embarrassing Beijing before the international community for their role in spreading the deadly and highly contagious disease across the world, Banks told Breitbart News.

“First, that would give us the justification to block flights to and from China. Secondly, it would allow us to broadcast Western media into mainland China and Taiwan. And thirdly, it would give just the justification to block China [from getting] into the world trade organizations,” Banks said.

“So, if they don’t come before the court, which we expect that that’s what they would do, then it would give us justification on the world stage to do those actions and embarrass China and draw more attention to their role in spreading this pandemic around the world,” he added.

Rep. Banks is engaged in a multi-pronged effort with other lawmakers to hold China accountable for the coronavirus outbreak.

“Sen. [Marsha] Blackburn [R-TN] and I, many others, are calling on Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo and Attorney General [William] Barr to go to the U.N. and call for an International Court of Justice,” Banks noted.

The purpose of bringing a case against China is to “reveal to the rest of the world that China’s negligence is the reason that the whole world is suffering like they are today and ultimately hold them accountable.”

“China has blatantly violated many” U.N. health regulations designed to deal with pandemics, the congressman continued. “That opens the door for an International Court of Justice.”

The U.S. can also use the International Court of Justice to force China to pay reparations and write off the U.S. national debt it owns, the congressman argued.

“We have the right president to pull this off, and I’m trying to start the conversation,” Rep. Banks declared. “I’ve called on the administration to dig into and find ways [so] that we can force reparations.”

On top of requiring reparations, Banks has called for additional tariffs on China.

Rep. Banks has been leading the way in exposing China’s contribution to the spread of the coronavirus currently plaguing the world.

The Indiana congressman was the first lawmaker to call on China to pay reparations for misleading the world about the dangers of the coronavirus illness (COVID-19).

Rep. Banks also introduced a resolution with dozens of his colleagues to have Congress call out the Chinese Communist Party for its inappropriate response to the virus outbreak that led to the current pandemic. The resolution proposal began as a bipartisan effort, but Democrat party leaders forced the only non-Republican sponsor to drop out, Banks said.

“That just goes to show you that the Democrat party is the party that wants to appease China and they’re far more focused on blaming President Trump than they are on punishing China for their negligence,” he told Breitbart News. 

Banks saw the coronavirus threat coming as his Democrat colleagues pushed forward with their failed efforts to remove Trump from office.

Breitbart News Saturday airs on Sirius XM Patriot Radio Channel 125 from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Eastern.