KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is placing the blame for the worldwide coronavirus pandemic at the feet of the Chinese government.

Schmitt’s office announced Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party and other Chinese officials.

The lawsuit claims that China suppressed information, arrested whistleblowers and denied the contagious nature of the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.

“In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real — thousands have been infected and many have died; families have been separated from dying loved ones; small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck-to-paycheck are struggling to put food on their table,” Schmitt said in a release announcing the lawsuit.

A spokesperson representing Schmitt’s office described the move as “historical.”