As we head into this year’s elections, Fox News is again pushing anti-immigrant bigotry, no matter how contrived the story sounds. This time, the target is Asian Americans.
On Sunday, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas went on the network to spread a conspiracy theory that massage parlors owned by Chinese Americans are part of a decadeslong scheme by China’s government — and the Triads, a Chinese gang — to infiltrate and influence the U.S.
Marshall’s broad conspiracy theory centered on the assertion that an “explosion of massage parlors” and other Chinese American-led businesses in Kansas and other parts of the U.S. is part of “the next chapter” in deceased dictator Mao Zedong’s supposed mission to wield nefarious influence over U.S. politics.
The rant was steeped in stereotypes. He claimed the Triads deploy “Harvard-trained” lawyers and accountants backed by China’s government to make the parlors look legitimate and launder money for what Marshall alleges are really hubs for human and drug trafficking. He repeated claims that China is helping Latin American drug smugglers bring fentanyl across the border. And he claimed that China is sending women to work in U.S. massage parlors who’ve been sold “into sex slavery for the rest of their lives.”
As in many of these conspiracy theories, there are some facts buried beneath the wild-eyed claims. There have been massage parlors linked to prostitution, but you’d have to go back at least 15 years to find a big federal bust in Kansas. But to jump from there to a vast conspiracy involving the Chinese government, Chairman Mao and fentanyl without any evidence is irresponsible and illogical.
Asked by anchor Maria Bartiromo toward the end of the interview if the FBI and CIA were aware of these claims, Marshall said he had “no idea” and that he was getting his information only from “my sheriff’s officers” and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
It’s bad enough that this kind of speculative…
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