Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans

“It is important to distinguish between the Chinese government, which is run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the Chinese people. In many respects, the Chinese people are already the regime’s biggest victims. So when the term ‘China’ or ‘Beijing’ is used in this book, any indictment is of the Communist government, not the people of China or people of Chinese ancestry living in or doing legitimate business within the United States.”

Peter Schweizer separates the actions of the CCP from the Chinese people, creating a moral boundary between the government and its citizens. This rhetorical strategy fosters empathy for the Chinese population by portraying them as survivors of the regime while simultaneously indicting the CCP. By emphasizing this contrast, Schweizer attempts to avoid generalization and reinforces the idea that his critique targets the political system, not the cultural or ethnic identity of the people.

“In the pages that follow, you will meet an American president who rarely challenges Beijing on anything, including the fentanyl poisoning of America, and whose family received $5 million from a businessman with links to a Chinese organized crime leader involved in the fentanyl trade. Indeed, some of that money appears to have flowed indirectly to Joe Biden himself.”

Schweizer employs insinuation and hyperbole—key elements often found in conspiracy narratives—to cast suspicion on President Biden’s relationship with China. The suggestive language like “appears to have flowed” introduces ambiguity and doubt, allowing Schweizer to imply corruption without making definitive accusations. By framing the financial link to a Chinese crime figure as a potential personal gain for Biden, the author enhances the sense of covert wrongdoing, inviting readers to question the integrity of political leaders while not taking responsibility for the accusation.

“Our investigation shows that some US political and business leaders are working or investing with known members of the drug networks poisoning Americans. Apparently, the money is just too good. Compromised by commercial opportunities that benefit them or their close allies and hiding behind the excuse of not wanting to ‘disrupt’ the US-China relationship, they effectively allow open season on Americans and sabotage our future generations.”

Schweizer employs reductive reasoning, as evidenced in the formulation “the money is just too good,” to distill complex geopolitical relationships into personal greed while building a portrayal of Americans as vulnerable and unsuspecting—aiming to invoke a sense of betrayal. By framing these leaders as knowingly “sabotaging” future generations, Schweizer heightens the emotional appeal of his argument and reinforces the