White House press secretary weighs in on the recent threats of violence targeting a U.S. company the Chinese Communist Party doesn’t like.
WASHINGTON—The White House has condemned the threats linked to Beijing that aim to disrupt the performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts, saying the Trump administration will take any such operations seriously and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
“Don’t disrupt it,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a March 17 press briefing. “This administration will take that very seriously and hold you accountable.
“We obviously condemn any violence or threats of violence against American institutions.”
Leavitt made the comment in response to a question from The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet, NTD, regarding President Donald Trump’s visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday afternoon.
Fake bomb threats targeting Shen Yun had recently caused the theater to evacuate on Shen Yun’s opening day and install metal detectors at the entrance as a precaution.
While the police found no harmful objects and the performance proceeded smoothly, the incident was far from an isolated issue. The company, since last March, has faced dozens of similar emailed threats of violence during its global tour.
The company has called for an investigation after the Kennedy Center case, saying that “if it doesn’t stop with Shen Yun, it won’t stop with somebody else.”
Trump made his first tour at the Kennedy Center after overhauling the center’s leadership last month and taking over the institution as the chairman. Some of his new appointees to the center’s board of trustees include Second Lady Usha Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and two Fox anchors, Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo.
Leavitt, at the press conference, said Trump “hopes to restore arts and culture that embrace American tradition.”
“Don’t disparage it, as we have unfortunately seen over the past several years,” she said, adding that she expects Trump to give some input on where the center can improve and discuss future theater programs it will host under the new leadership.
By Eva Fu
