White House stresses US Justice Department’s independence in striking Meng Wanzhou deal
- Press secretary Jen Psaki says the agreement was purely a ‘legal matter’ and rejected the suggestion of a prisoner swap for two Canadians held by China
- The resolution of Meng’s case has ‘zero impact’ on the Biden administration’s China policy, according to Psaki
The White House on Monday sought to play down its role in the Department of Justice’s decision to allow Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese executive detained in Canada on fraud charges, to return home last week, and said its policy to hold China accountable for rights violations and economic malpractice would remain unchanged.
After nearly three years living under house arrest in Vancouver, Huawei Technologies Co’s Meng was released on Friday after admitting wrongdoing – but not guilt – in a case relating to alleged violations of US sanctions on Iran.
Addressing that criticism on Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested the White House had not pressured the Justice Department to resolve Meng’s case, calling the decision a “legal matter” overseen by independent prosecutors.
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Meng Wanzhou returns to China and Canadians freed after US court reaches deal with Huawei CFO
“It may feel foreign to [congressional Republicans] that the Department of Justice is independent, but it is independent in this administration,” Psaki said in a news briefing, alluding to former president Donald Trump’s efforts to direct his attorney general to investigate political opponents.