When CODEPINK activists disrupted the recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats, Senator Tom Cotton responded by asserting libelously — and on National TV, mind you — that our organization is funded by “Communist China.” Well, guess what Tom? CODEPINK is funded and powered by thousands of donors who want peace, and we don’t need to rely on a foreign entity to guide our moral and political compass — unlike Senator Cotton, who receives funding from foreign-aligned lobbyist groups like AIPAC! These lies are a tactic to isolate and silence the bigger anti-war movement, not just CODEPINK.
Join our letter to tell Tom Cotton: Stop telling lies about peace activists! Sign below!
Dear Tom Cotton,
At the recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, peace activists from CODEPINK interrupted the proceedings to voice a major concern of the American people — we found it rather troubling that at a meeting about global threats, not a single person had mentioned Israel. Israel has led a nearly two year genocide on the people of Gaza, invaded Lebanon, bombed Iran, bombed Yemen, encroached into Syria, and violated numerous ceasefire deals. The activist’s message was clear: The greatest threat to global security is Israel, and the whole world knows it!
Without missing a beat — almost as if you’d practiced it — you addressed the American people watching live, pointedly labeled CODEPINK activists as “lunatics,” and started spewing lies that the women’s peace organization was funded by “Communist China.”
The truth? CODEPINK is not funded by China or by any foreign government. They are funded by tens of thousands of donors, mostly in small donations, out of gratitude for the work they do everyday to raise our voices against war and US imperialism. Protesting war and genocide is not supporting foreign interests. People who demonstrate against war and genocide are actually representing the values and concerns of the majority of U.S. Americans, who want our tax dollars invested in human life and dignity — not in war, death, and destruction. And unlike the Pentagon, CODEPINK regularly passes its audits.
Despite having no evidence to support your claims, you persisted in your accusations, stating, “The fact that Communist China funds CODEPINK... illustrates Director Gabbard’s point that China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are working together in greater concert than they ever had before.” As far as insults go, this one was a bit lacking in originality, don’t you think? Your remarks, while reckless and ridiculous, resemble the dark and dangerous tactics of the McCarthy era, where unsubstantiated claims of foreign allegiances were used to silence dissent.
You clearly do not appreciate the responsibility you’ve been handed in your one-month-old elevation to the chair of the Senate’s Intelligence Committee. Coming from an elected official like you, aired live on national television, these slanderous statements can have immediate and dangerous consequences for those being lied about, as well as their friends and family. People look to our leaders to stand for truth and justice, but instead you used your post to try and intimidate people who disagree with war — which happens to be a very popular sentiment in the United States.
You have a responsibility to represent the people you were elected to serve. While people in your state of Arkansas struggle to make ends meet with rising grocery and housing prices — you spend your time trying to silence a movement of people that want better for themselves and people all around the world.
We, the undersigned, call on you to formally retract your statement and stop spreading lies about activists, whoever they might be. We call on you to represent the popular anti-war opinion and stop villainizing people who just want peace.