Sen. Ted Cruz R-Texas, speaks to the media during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

You may have seen how President Donald Trump called out a reporter for the Chinese gov’t connected media outlet Phoenix at a White House briefing on Monday.

The reporter asked a question that was more of a laundry list of things the Chinese government and companies connected to China were allegedly doing to donate medical supplies and equipment to deal with the pandemic, rather than a question.

Trump said it that it was a “statement more than a question” and then asked her if she worked for China.

Hong Kong Phoenix TV Reporter: Are you cooperating with China?

TRUMP: Who are you with? Who owns that [station]? Is it owned by China?

Reporter: No, it's not, it's privately-owned company.

(It actually is owned largely by corporations held by the Chinese government.) pic.twitter.com/0FEBfZiA1T

— August Takala (@AugustTakala) April 6, 2020

Turns out Trump was right and the reporter’s response was not quite accurate.

From Daily Caller:

The Hoover Institution regards it as a “quasi-official” news outlet with links to the Chinese government’s ministry of state security.

Freedom House, a pro-democracy think tank, said in a 2017 report that Phoenix TV is owned by a former Chinese military officer with close ties to Beijing officials.

“Phoenix TV’s coverage is typically favorable to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party],” the report says.

“Moreover, over the past two years, it has been used as an outlet for airing televised confessions by various detained CCP critics, most notably all five Hong Kong booksellers abducted by Chinese security forces in late 2015.”

Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the White House Correspondents Association for allowing the outlet a seat at the briefing. The WHCA is run by journalists, not the White House.

Phoenix TV has been waging information warfare in the US for yrs. They are nominally private but actually state owned. In 2018 I led effort to block them from using cutouts to spread propaganda. MSM should NEVER have given them seat at WH press conference. https://t.co/JswOrAwb8X

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

2/x From my letter to the FCC: “H&H Capital assists PRC companies with finding strategic investors from around the globe” and “work[s] with Chinese companies interested in buying U.S. companies or the Chinese rights to U.S. brands.”

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

3/x “…It was founded by Ms. Huo, who is described on the website as ‘native of Beijing’ who ‘has conducted in-depth research and analysis of major financial, legal, and business news including… key legal issues facing Chinese state-owned enterprises, among other topics.’”

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

4/x “…Radio Free Asia recently reported that Ms. Huo worked in NY as a correspondent for Global Times, which is owned by the People’s Daily, an official newspaper of the CPC, registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.”

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

5/x “…Phoenix Satellite TV US is a subsidiary of Beijing Phoenix TV, based in Hong Kong. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) exerts control over Chinese media and the control extends to Phoenix: in 2009 testimony to the US Economic & Security Review Commission on China…”

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

6/x “…Anne Marie-Brady…at Wilson Center said ‘Phoenix is nominally privately-owned; however its current main investor is the State-owned enterprise China Mobile.’ In 2016…Phoenix BROADCAST THE FORCED CONFESSIONS of 5 Hong Kong booksellers for violating PRC censorship law.”

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

7/x Here’s the text of the full letter: https://t.co/OuBN5nzAv1

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

8/x So to recap, the WH Correspondents Assoc gave a seat at the WH press briefing to an employee of the Chinese Communist govt, to ask globally televised Qs to POTUS, at the same time China is waging a propaganda campaign to hide their culpability & coverup of the Wuhan virus?!? pic.twitter.com/lJYjdqqEFe

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 7, 2020

Why is anyone connected to the Chine government even permitted at this briefing, particularly under the present circumstances?

Meanwhile the WHCA booted conservative outlet OANN had to be kicked out because of “social distancing guidelines” and CNN flipped out that she dared to ask a question they thought was a softball question.

Where is their objection to this reporter and her propaganda? Bottom line? The WHCA seems to have more of a problem with OANN than they do with a communist government connected reporter. Why are they providing a seat when the Chinese government is currently involved in a propaganda war against us?

Just shameful.