White House Sent National Security Officials to Warn Pelosi of Taiwan Trip Risks - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The White House attempted to dissuade House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from visiting Taiwan by sending a team of National Security Council (NSC) officials to warn the senior lawmaker of the risks posed by such a trip, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

The White House sent senior NSC members and State Department officials to brief Pelosi and her team on the geopolitical risks of the trip in an attempt to delay it, the report said, citing people familiar with the conversations.

Biden administration officials were upset at Pelosi’s insistence upon making the trip to Taiwan as a highlight moment of her political career, according to the report.

The administration began planning for contingencies and checking the functionality of communications backchannels with Beijing in anticipation of any potential consequences of the visit once it became clear Pelosi would make the trip, the report said.

Pelosi was displeased with leaks of her trip to Taiwan in the media, which she believed the Biden administration put out in an effort to influence her to cancel the visit, the report also said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Biden advisers did not consider asking Pelosi publicly to delay the trip a good idea due to concerns that she may not have complied with the request, people familiar with the exchange reportedly said.

China in response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan warned of serious consequences, including the launch of military operations around the island. The White House has defended Pelosi’s visit, stressing that the trip does not violate China’s sovereignty or historic relational norms between the United States, China and Taiwan.