U.S. weighs response to China ouster of WSJ reporters

The U.S. is weighing whether to expel Chinese journalists after China kicked out three Wall Street Journal reporters, reports Nick Wadhams, Jennifer Jacobs and Saleha Mohsin of Bloomberg News.

Wadhams, Jacobs and Mohsin report, “The administration’s options were to be discussed in a meeting of senior administration leaders at the White House later Monday led by Matt Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser who was once a Wall Street Journal reporter in Beijing, according to U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations.

“There’s an intense debate over how severely to respond to the expulsions last week. Some advocate ordering dozens — and perhaps hundreds — of Chinese reporters to leave, while others say that’s not legally possible or in keeping with American values on freedom of the press, according to several of the officials.

“While declining to comment on specific actions under consideration, John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Friday that China’s move against the American reporters was an ‘egregious act.'”

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