Fact check: Did the US state of Missouri sue China over the Coronavirus outbreak?

The coronavirus pandemic has evidently taken over the world and become a global threat which has led to over 178 thousand deaths to date. Ever since the coronavirus pandemic has spread globally, many people across the globe have blatantly and unabashedly blamed China for the current situation. While some conspiracy theorists have blamed China to have cultivated the virus as a bioweapon, some are blaming the country for poor management of the virus and allow it to spread across the globe. 

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Claim - 

Various posts on social media were recently going viral which claimed that the Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has sued the Chinese government for lying about the contagious nature of the virus. Claims suggested furthermore that the Chinese government silenced whistleblowers in an attempt to increase the spread of the coronavirus. As per these claims, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has allegedly demanded for China to be held accountable for their actions. 

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Rating - True

The Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed a case against the Chinese government alleging that they have lied to the people across the globe. The claims about Eric Schmitt accusing China of trying to hide the real threat of the coronavirus outbreak have also been proven true. Eric Schmitt recently took to his Twitter and also blamed China for 'unleashing' a global coronavirus pandemic. 

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Origin - 

The rumours first started going on various social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The claims were then proven right by Missouri Attorney General's Twitter account itself where he shared Missouri will be holding China accountable. Eric Schmitt has since then posted a number of tweets to further his lawsuit and bring it to the public light. 

Google Trends analysis - 

As the rumours about Missouri Attorney General started to go around the internet, people started to find the answers on Google themselves. This resulted in a surge of search results about the same.  People searched terms like 'Missouri sues china over coronavirus' and 'Missouri attorney general'. Check it out below - 

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