McCarthy laments Pelosi not taking Republicans to Taiwan

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday lamented that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not take any Republicans along on her highly publicized and contentious diplomatic visit to Taiwan.

“I support her going to Taiwan. I would’ve gone with her, had she asked. She didn’t take one Republican. When she went to Ukraine, she didn’t take one Republican. So, if you really want to make a strong statement … don’t make it partisan. Don’t take all Democrats,” he said on Fox News.

Pelosi initially invited at least one Republican, per the Washington Times, but chose to make it a partisan delegation when that lawmaker could not attend.

The House Speaker arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, following a string of bellicose statements from Chinese officials and state-supported propagandists warning her against such a move. Her arrival prompted Beijing to announce it would hold live fire drills around Taiwan.

China officially claims Taiwan as part of its territory. Both the Beijing and Taipei governments claim to be the legitimate regime of a single, unified Chinese state and Taiwan does not formally claim to be an independent nation from China.