“It is the central node of the Communist Party’s vast network of spies & influence operations in the United States. Now that building must close & the spies have 72 hours to leave or face arrest,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted. “This needed to happen.”
The Reuters news agency reports that a source with direct knowledge of the matter stated that Beijing is threatening to retaliate by ordering Washington to close its consulate in Wuhan. This is the Chinese city that many are attributing to the origination of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Almost immediately after the order was delivered, Houston firefighters responded to reports of papers being burned on the consulate grounds Tuesday night but were barred entry, according to CBS affiliate KHOU-TV. (CBS News)