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| Congressmembers Lance Gallagher and Judy Chu at odds. |
Racist remarks from a Texas congressman against an Asian American lawmaker drew sharp rebukes from other members of Congress and the AANHPI community.
On a Fox News show, Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, questioned the loyalties of Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, because she defended Dominic Ng, who President Biden appointed to lead US trade interests in Asia. Ng has been accused of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party, prompting a group of House GOP lawmakers to ask the FBI to investigate the appointee.
“I question her either loyalty or competence,” Gooden said of Chu during an interview on Fox News. “If she doesn’t realize what’s going on then she’s totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies.”
It didn't take long for a reaction to Gooden's remarks.
"Rep. Gooden’s comments on Fox News questioning my loyalty to the USA is absolutely outrageous," responded Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress. "It is based on false information spread by an extreme, right-wing website. Furthermore, it is racist. I very much doubt that he would be spreading these lies were I not of Chinese American descent."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a statement said Gooden's "slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic.
"Congressman Gooden appears to sympathize with violent insurrectionists and spreads big lies to the American people, having voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden. Look in the mirror, Lance. You have zero credibility," he added.
On Friday, Gooden doubled down on his remarks, accusing both Chu and Jeffries of "playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation," the typical reaction of someone who is trying to downplay his own biases.
Gooden is a member of the so-called "Sedition Caucus" of nearly 150 extreme-right Republicans in Congress who attempted to subvert the 2020 U.S. presidential election in service of former Donald Trump's "Big Lie" that the election was stolen.
"Congressman Gooden appears to sympathize with violent insurrectionists and spreads big lies to the American people, having voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden. Look in the mirror, Lance. You have zero credibility," he added.
On Friday, Gooden doubled down on his remarks, accusing both Chu and Jeffries of "playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation," the typical reaction of someone who is trying to downplay his own biases.
Gooden is a member of the so-called "Sedition Caucus" of nearly 150 extreme-right Republicans in Congress who attempted to subvert the 2020 U.S. presidential election in service of former Donald Trump's "Big Lie" that the election was stolen.
“Insinuating that Chair Chu is disloyal to the United States because she is Chinese American is categorically wrong," said a statement from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus chaired by Chu.
"This type of racist targeting and profiling of Chinese Americans by right-wing extremists is not only xenophobic, it is incredibly dangerous. After centuries of being targeted for not being ‘American enough’ and viewed with suspicion based on looking ‘foreign,’ this type of insinuation and fear mongering only further endangers our communities.
“We hope Republican House leadership will join us in condemning these kinds of attacks on Chinese Americans, elected or otherwise."
Although the strongest criticism has come from Democrats as expected, at least one Republican has expressed concern about Gooden's remarks.
“Let me say we should not question anybody’s loyalty to the United States. I think that is out of bounds. It’s beyond the pale,” Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the chairman of the China select committee, told CBS’s Face The Nation on Sunday.
“Absolutely, we shouldn’t question anybody’s loyalty,” Gallagher added. “And going forward, I think what’s critical and the reason we actually got the committee renamed to focus on the Chinese Communist Party, is to constantly make that distinction between the party and the people.”
"This type of racist targeting and profiling of Chinese Americans by right-wing extremists is not only xenophobic, it is incredibly dangerous. After centuries of being targeted for not being ‘American enough’ and viewed with suspicion based on looking ‘foreign,’ this type of insinuation and fear mongering only further endangers our communities.
“We hope Republican House leadership will join us in condemning these kinds of attacks on Chinese Americans, elected or otherwise."
Although the strongest criticism has come from Democrats as expected, at least one Republican has expressed concern about Gooden's remarks.
“Let me say we should not question anybody’s loyalty to the United States. I think that is out of bounds. It’s beyond the pale,” Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the chairman of the China select committee, told CBS’s Face The Nation on Sunday.
“Absolutely, we shouldn’t question anybody’s loyalty,” Gallagher added. “And going forward, I think what’s critical and the reason we actually got the committee renamed to focus on the Chinese Communist Party, is to constantly make that distinction between the party and the people.”
AANHPI communitiy advocates also condemned Gallagher's comments. The Organization of Chinese Associations, the largest Chinese American umbrella agency issued a statement critical of Gooden.
"Hate crimes and xenophobia against the AANHPI community has risen precipitously because elected officials like Rep. Gooden continues to make ignorant and racist statements which have dangerous consequences," the statement said. "These unfounded suspicions and questions of loyalty towards AANHPIs only perpetuates distrust of the community and increases the division in America. These racist accusations have no place in our society."
“Dominic Ng and Rep. Chu are as American as Rep. Gooden, proud patriots of the United States. Questioning their loyalty to the U.S. based on nothing but skin color is racism, pure and simple,” said Zhengyu Huang, president of Committee of 100.
"Hate crimes and xenophobia against the AANHPI community has risen precipitously because elected officials like Rep. Gooden continues to make ignorant and racist statements which have dangerous consequences," the statement said. "These unfounded suspicions and questions of loyalty towards AANHPIs only perpetuates distrust of the community and increases the division in America. These racist accusations have no place in our society."
“Dominic Ng and Rep. Chu are as American as Rep. Gooden, proud patriots of the United States. Questioning their loyalty to the U.S. based on nothing but skin color is racism, pure and simple,” said Zhengyu Huang, president of Committee of 100.
“Comments like these continue the cycle of viewing Chinese and Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners, strangers in our own homeland. Comments like these cause xenophobia and violence to increase against the AAPI community," Huang continued.
"As a society, we cannot sit idly by and allow racially charged language to go unchecked. Words have meaning, and racially charged words have consequences. We strongly condemn the language used by Rep. Gooden and stand united with Dominic Ng and Rep. Chu as proud Americans.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
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