The NYT article is pure nonsense that anyone with some intelligent could see through the lies. However, many people don't seek truth but would rather believe anything anti-China no matter what. If that is what they came up with for justification of ordering closure of the consulate, then it shows that this is just a political attempt to help Trump election.
It is disguising that people would blame China for this. It is like someone beat the crap out you and you blame your parents for it. If those oversea Chinese people want China to sell out its national interest so they can have a better life in the West, then China is better without them. I am saying this as an oversea Chinese.
This is the GOP - they openly lie and will often do so with no evidence. The fact that Trumps administration is plagued with controversy and allegations of corruption is no surprise. Democrats' anti-China agendas are usually more subtle, whereas the GOP is more brash but amateurish / childish given their support base.
People forget that in April the GOP said they have evidence that China was faking COVID death numbers but never published any evidence. It was pure fabrication and a political stunt to help explain the Trump administration's poor handling of COVID relative to China. Closure of the Houston Consulate is no different, they won't give a valid reason and any justification is based on lies.
Given the rise in COVID numbers in the U.S., racial tensions, recession and heated fight between the political left and political right, the Trump administration is getting more and more desperate as November comes. The increase in anti-China rhetoric is also due to the fact that China is set to benefit geopolitical from COVID compared to the U.S.