Chinese activist addresses Washington hearing by phone, appeals to Clinton for help

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

In a dramatic appeal, the Chinese dissident at the center of an international firestorm spoke to a Capitol Hill committee over an iPhone on Thursday and -- according to the translator -- asked for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's help ushering him out of China and into the United States.

Chen Guangcheng called in to an emergency hearing held Thursday afternoon in Washington. He spoke for several minutes while a rights activist held up the phone to the microphone and translated from Mandarin to English.

Chen said he wanted to meet with Clinton and that he wanted to come to the U.S. for some "rest." He said he hoped Clinton could "help" him, and that he also wanted to thank her, as he detailed his concerns about his family's safety.

"I'm really afraid (for) my other family members' life," he said, according to Bob Fu, president of the rights group ChinaAid, who translated Chen's de facto testimony. "The thing I'm most concerned (about) right now is the safety of my mother, my brothers, and I really want to know what's going on with them."

The appeal, combined with some tough statements by Republican lawmakers, puts added pressure on the Obama administration to facilitate a resolution to the potential diplomatic crisis.

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Chen finds out what it's like to be tossed under Obama's bus.