Jan. 6 Committee: First Vietnamese American Congresswoman goes out with a bang

US Rep. Stephanie Murphy from Florida will be leaving Congress in January.

The last vote in Congress cast by US Rep. Stephanie Murphy may be the one that goes down in the history books.

The Vietnamese American Congressmember capped off her political career by voting with the eight other House Jan. 6 Committee members to recommend the prosecution of Donald Trump. The bipartisan committee was formed to investigate the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

“Trump turned to his supporters, those who believed his lies about a stolen election‚” Murphy, D-Winter Park, said Monday during the committee’s last hearing. “He summoned a crowd to the nation’s Capitol on January 6, hoping that they would pressure Congress to do what he could not do on his own.”

In the committee's final hearing, Murphy’s described the fourth and final of the committee’s findings of potential criminal charges, that Trump violated a federal statute against inciting, assisting, or engaging in insurrection or giving aid or comfort to an insurrection.

“Despite having knowledge of the threats of violence presented by the crowd gathered on Jan. 6, President Trump gave an incendiary speech, declaring without basis that the election had been stolen and encouraging his supporters to ‘fight like hell’,” she said.

“The President’s December 19 tweet galvanized domestic violent extremists, including members of the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys and organized militia groups,” Murphy said. “These individuals began organizing to come to the Capitol in large numbers with the specific intent to use violence to disrupt the certification of the election during the joint session.”

The committee referred Trump to the DOJ on at least four criminal charges, while saying Monday it had evidence of possible charges of conspiring to injure or impede an officer and seditious conspiracy.

The action does not require the Justice Department to act although Attorney General Merrick Garland has already appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to take on two probes related to Trump, including the January 6 investigation.

The full report will be released Wednesday. The sheer volume of this material can't be overstated. The panel took testimony from more than 1,000 witnesses. Many of these interviews were videotaped, which means the panel has hundreds of hours of footage.

After serving three terms in Congress, Murphy decided to retire this year to spend more time with her family.

Murphy became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress in 2016 when she upset 12-term Republican incumbent John Mica to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

“I’m proud of our Congress in this country because we are a citizen Congress,” Murphy said. “It’s about average people getting an opportunity to represent their community. To the Central Florida community, I just have to say a heartfelt thank you. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. It’s been the opportunity of my life.”

Republican Cory Mills defeated his Democratic opponent by 17 points in this year’s midterm election to be the new Congressional representative for the 7th district, which was gerrymandered by the GOP-controlled legislature to include more Republicans. 

In her final term, Murphy was elected leader of the 18-member House Blue Dogs, which have a longstanding policy focus of fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and a what they believe is a more pragmatic approach to governance but also put them at odds with their fellow Democrats.

Asked what’s next for her, Murphy told News 6 in late November that she’s looking forward to spending time with her family and a “more sane pace of life.” But, she added, “I believe in public service. I always have. And I’m sure I’ll find ways to serve my community and my country.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Vietnamese American will lead questioning in Jan. 6 select committee probe of failed insurrection

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Rep. Stephanie Murphy, left, will lead the questioning of the House Jan. 6 Select Committee.

Congressmember Stephanie Murphy will be one of the key questioners in today's hearing by the House Jan. 6 select committee investigating the violent failed 2021 coup of US Congress.

The spotlight will be on Murphy, the only Vietnamese American woman in Congress and a member of the select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. Tuesday's hearing will fconnect the dots between people in Donald Trump’s circle and the rightwing radicals -- the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers that egged on the mob that forced their way into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“We will lay out the body of evidence that we have that talks about how the president’s tweet on the wee hours of Dec. 19 of, ‘Be there, be wild,’ was a siren call to these folks,” Murphy said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. 

The hearing could be one of the most consequential held by the panel, potentially answering the long unresolved question of whether Trump knew that far right extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers would storm the Capitol, and whether the president was in contact through intermediaries with the groups’ leaders, who have since been indicted for seditious conspiracy.

“We will lay out a body of evidence that we have that talks about how the President’s tweets on the wee hours of Dec. 19 of ‘Be there, Be wild’ was a siren call to these folks,” Murphy said, referencing a tweet where Trump alleged it was statistically impossible he lost the election.

“We’ll talk in detail about what that caused them to do, how that caused them to organize, as well as who else was amplifying that message,” referring to those members of Congress and Trump's administration.

Murphy will lead the questioning during the Tuesday televised hearing along with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-MD.

Without revealing any details of the closed-door testimony of form White House Counsel Pat Cipollone's meeting Friday with the select committee.

Cipollone testimony came after former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson revealed alleged details about Cipollone's actions that day and the days leading to the attempted insurrection that temporarily inerrupted Congress' certification of the presidential election results during which lives were lost and scores of injuries suffered by law enforcement that tried to prevent the mobs from entering the building.

Murphy, a conservative Democrat who will not be running for re-election this year, said the select committee was able to get Cipollone “to confirm the concerns that he did have” about efforts to overturn President Biden's landslide victory.

“He made very clear that he took the side of many of the folks that you’ve already seen come before the committee, and was asserting that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that the election was not free and fair,” Murphy told MTP host Chuck Todd.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Vietnamese American member of Congress not running for re-election

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Rep. Stephanie Murphy will be leaving the House of Representatives.

The lone Member of Congress who hails from Vietnam will be leaving the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022.

"I've decided not to seek another term in Congress. Serving Central Florida has been the honor of my life, but it's also been incredibly challenging for my family and me," Murphy said in a tweet last Monday, which also featured a video announcement of her plans.

Murphy, 37, a moderate Democrat who has represented her district for five years, is one of the leading moderates of the Democratic Party and currently serves as co-chairwoman of the moderate caucus, Blue Dog Coalition.

Murphy, first elected in 2016, is the first Vietnamese American woman — and second ever Vietnamese-American person — elected to Congress.

Murphy and her family immigrated to the United States when she was only 1-year old. Her parents fled communist Vietnam by boat and were rescued by the U.S. Navy at sea. Murphy’s parents worked blue collar jobs during the day and cleaned office buildings at night to support her and her brother.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Murphy joined the Department of Defense, leaving behind a promising career as an economic advisor. She attributed her decision to enter public service to wanting to protect the country that rescued her family from sea.

The mother of two young children, Murphy said she hopes “to open a new chapter in my life, one in which I can spend a bit more time with my family.”

"I think it's hard for people in politics and especially in Washington to understand that someone at my age would quote unquote, retire ... without having some sort of scandal or without fear of losing a reelection or without, immediately running for another position or job,” Murphy told Politico. “But really, right now I need to be with my family.”

Just last Spring, she was mulling over a run for the U.S. Senate to represent Florida. She dropped those plans when her friend and fellow Democrat Rep. Val Demings announced her intention to run for that Senate seat.

Although known as an economic moderate, she will work the rest of her term trying to pass a version of President Biden's Build Back Better plan and continue the investigation by the Jan. 6 committee. 

“While I continue to have reservations about the overall size of the legislation — and concerns about certain policy provisions that are extraneous or unwise — I believe there are too many badly-needed investments in this bill not to advance it in the legislative process,” she said in a statement about that vote. “I will work with my Senate colleagues to improve this bill, and I hope to vote on — and enact — a more streamlined version of the bill once it returns from the Senate.

Although she didn't mention it her announcement, as a co-chair of the House's Jan. 6 committee, she has received an uptick of death threats to her and her family.

In an interview with Politico announcing her departure, Murphy did not rule out a run for a different public role in the future: “We’ll have to see what happens in the future.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and reviews from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd

Vietnamese American refugee to help investigate Jan. 6 Insurrection

Rep. Stephanie Murphy, tleft, he only member of the House who was a refugee, will be among those
appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, right, to investigate the Jan. 6 Insurrection.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today named a former Vietnamese refugee to  a bipartisan Select Committee to examine and report upon the facts and causes relating to the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol Complex on Jan. 6, this year.

“I am honored to have been appointed to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, and I pledge to fulfill this solemn responsibility to the best of my ability," said Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.

“When I was a baby, my family fled an authoritarian country," said the Vietnamese American Congressmember. "We were rescued by the U.S. Navy and given refuge in America. I love this country beyond words. To see the citadel of American democracy assaulted is a reminder that our democracy is not self-sustaining. It needs to be preserved and protected by American patriots of every political stripe.”

Pelosi's action comes afte Senate Republicans blocked a move to vote on an outside commission, leaving Democratic leaders with plans to move forward with a House select committee instead. 

“January 6th was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history, with five people killed, 140 members of law enforcement physically harmed and countless more seriously traumatized,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  

“It is clear that January 6th was not simply an attack on a building, but an attack on our very democracy: an attack on the peaceful transfer of power.  It is imperative that we find the truth of that day and ensure that such an assault on our Capitol and Democracy cannot ever again happen.”

“It had been our hope to establish a bipartisan, independent National Commission, but there is no prospect for that Commission at this time,” continued Speaker Pelosi.  “The House established the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.  I am proud to name Members who will patriotically honor our oath and our responsibility to the American people: to seek the truth.”

Other members of the Committee are:

• Chair Bennie Thompson: Chair of Homeland Security Committee
• Chair Zoe Lofgren: Chair of Committee on House Administration
• Chair Adam Schiff: Chair of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
• Rep. Pete Aguilar, House Administration and Appropriations Committees
• Rep. Liz Cheney, Armed Services Committee
• Rep. Jamie Raskin, Oversight and Judiciary Committees
• Rep. Elaine Luria, Navy veteran, Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees

The Select Committee on the January 6th Insurrection will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021.  It will also be charged with reporting its findings, conclusions and recommendations for preventing future attacks.  

The Committee will be bipartisan, with 13 members appointed by the Speaker, five of whom will be appointed after consultation with the Minority Leader in an attempt to get Rpublican participation. If the GOP refuses to appoint any of its members, the committee will do its duty without their input.

Vietnamese American congressmember mulling a challenge to Florida's Senator Marco Rubio

Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Florida

Vietnamese American Congressmember Stephanie Murphy of Florida is considering running for the U.S. Senate  according to Axios, which broke the story. She would challenge incumbent Sen.Marco Rubio.

“Rep. Murphy has not made a decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate,” said Lauren Calmet, a campaign spokesperson. However, it certainly looks like Murphy is  testing the waters for a potentially historic run. She's currently on a statewide "listening tour," telling her life story.

Donald Trump won Florida in 202o by 3 percentage points and the current governor and state legislators passed new restrictive voting laws that would make it harder to vote. The laws will certainly wind up in the courts and that might be selling point in favor of any Democrat running against the GOP-leaning state.

However, as a immigrant from Vietnam, Murphy is strongly anti-communist, a position that would endear her to the large Cuban community, and has expressed qualms about Biden's tax plans.

Murphy could be the second Vietnamese American campaigning for a high-profile political post. Last week, state Rep. Bee Nguyen, announced her candidacy for Georgia's Attorney General.

Murphy serves as co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of Democrats focused on fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and a principled and pragmatic approach to legislating.

Before her election to Congress in 2016, Congresswoman Murphy was a businesswoman and college instructor. She earned a M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the College of William and Mary.

Sources close to the Democrat say Murphy plans to announce her candidacy in June, reports Axios.

If Murphy were to win Florida's Senate seat, she would be the third Asian American in the Senate, joining Illinois' Tammy Duckworth and Hawaii's Mazie Hirono.

Murphy also sounds like someone interested in moving from the House to the Senate. She  previously called Rubio a “career politician.” She describes herself as a "capitalist" and has criticized Rubio for being out of touch with his constituents “in the real world.”

Rubio, a Cuban American, ran for President in 2012 and 2016. As a candidate in 2020, he was a vociferous critic of Donald Trump. However, after Trump beat Hillary Clinton, he became one of Trump's ardent defenders.

“[Rubio] has used the Senate as a stepping stone for his political ambitions as opposed to serving the people of Florida,” she told the Orlando Sentinel. “And I happen to believe that the people of Florida deserve a senator, at least one, who is more focused on what their issues are at their kitchen tables than on their next political position.”

Impeaching Donald Trump: AAPI members of Congress vote along party lines

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Rep. Ted Lieu will manage Donald Trump's impeachment in front of the U.S. Senate.

On Korean American Day, the four Korean American Congressmembers split along party lines on the initiative to impeach Donald Trump. The day commemorates the arrival of the first Koreans to the U.S. in 1903.

Democrats Andy Kim (NJ) and Marilyn Strickland (WA) voted Wednesday (Jan. 13)  for impeachment and California Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Steel voted no.

With a vote of 232 to 197, the House of Representatives charged Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the violent takeover byTrump supporters and white supremacists of the U.S. Capitol building that left five people dead and terrorized lawmakers as they sought to confirm the Electoral College votes that gave President-elect Joe Biden a victory last Nov. 3.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA, to manage the impeachment and argue for conviction in front of the Senate.

Unlike 13 months ago when the House voted for the first impeachment of Trump and the vote was strictly along party lines, 10 Republicans crossed party lines this time to vote with the Democrats, including Rep. Liz Cheney, the third highest ranking Republican in the House.

With the exception of first-term lawmakers Young Kim and Steel, the other  AAPI Representatives are Democrats and voted for impeachment along party lines. Besides the aforementioned Strickland, Andy Kim. They include: Californians Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna, Mark Takano, Judy Chu, Ami Bera, Doris Matsui and newly installed Kai Kahele of Hawaii, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Grace Meng of New York, Virginia's Bobby Scott and Stephanie Murphy of Florida.

"The bipartisan vote reaffirms that security of our democracy is our first priority," said Congressman Scott, who is of Filipino descent. "I hope the Senate will convict/remove Donald Trump and we can move forward from this dark chapter."

“It is not with joy that I have voted to impeach the President for a second time. I am taking a stand to ensure the future for our children and grandchildren," said Rep. Matsui. "When we are asked by future generations what we did, we must be able to tell them that we fulfilled our obligation to keep our democracy strong. (Trump) remains a clear and present danger to our nation as long as he is able to hold elected office, and that is why we acted to impeach him immediately.”

“Today’s impeachment is not about dividing this country. It’s about uniting all patriotic Americans against the unconstitutional actions of an out-of-control president—a president who incited insurrection against our great nation,” said Florida's Murphy. (Murphy's full statement is below.)

Trump is the only U.S. President to be impeached twice. Trump's was impeached in 2019 for trying to get Ukraine officials to dig up dirt of alleged corrupt business dealings = by Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden. The allegations, which proved untrue, were, nevertheless, raised by Trump against Biden during the campaign. The Senate rejected the impeachment.

The current charge of impeachment against Trump claims Trump "incited an insurrection" against Congress when he spoke at a rally of people who believed Trump's lies claiming that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged and that he actually won. 

The "incitement of insurrection" article of impeachment was introduced Monday by three House Democrats: Ted Lieu of California , Jaime Raskin of Maryland and David Cicilline of Rhode Island.

Lieu got the impeachment ball rolling while insurrectionists were roaming the halls of the Capitol after breaking through the lines of overwhelmed police officers  He texted the Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee about the need to impeach.

“I was just super pissed off,” said Lieu, an officer in the Air Force Reserves and represents a district that includes parts of  Los Angeles and Hollywood.

The impeachment is like an indictment and the hearing before the U.S. Senate is like a trial. Chief Justice Roberts will preside and two-thirds of the Senators present is needed for a conviction. The Senate is not set to meet until Jan.1 19, a day before Biden's inauguration so the articles of impeachment would likely be presented to the newly constituted Senate that will be controlled by the Democrats.

A former president can still be found guilty by the Senate. While the main penalty for a guilty verdict in an impeachment trial is removal from office, senators could vote to bar Trump from holding office in the future. That's an important incentive for both parties becuase Trump has not ruled out running for president in 2024. He could also lose his six-figure pension and other post-presidential perks.

The final text for impeachment states: “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”

AAPI lawmakers shelter in place, anger against Trump mounts

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Radical insurgents break into the Capitol building.

Jan. 6, 2021 is a day that will live in infamy and shame. The rioters broke into the Capitol building where lawmakers were confirming the electoral votes of last November's election.

Asian American and Pacific Islander members of Congress reacted to the unprecedented coup attempt.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth had to pause to collect herself before continuing her emotional speech lambasting the "tinhorn dictator," Donald Trump.

"This assault on our nation’s Capitol is a coup attempt and all those involved should be prosecuted as such," wrote Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA. "Also, for those Dems saying we shouldn’t impeach @realDonaldTrump again? You are wrong."

Once Vice President Mike Pence was whisked away by Secret Service in the middle of the Senate debate, Lieu tweeted, "Now is the time for @VP @Mike_Pence to start the 25th Amendment process."

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows the vice president and a majority of Cabinet secretariesto declare Trump "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office" in writing and remove him from office.

Trump could also be impeached again, which requires a simple majority of the House and two-thirds of the Senate for removal.

Lawmakers in the Capitol tweeted their responses after assuring their families that they were safe:

“The assault of the Capitol was the direct result of a Republican party that has been willing to indulge white supremacy and conspiracy theories throughout the Trump Presidency," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

"The repeated attempts to undermine confidence in our elections – even after yesterday’s siege ended – are irresponsible and reprehensible. It is beyond tragic that a life was lost yesterday (Jan. 6), ending America’s proud history of bloodless transfers of power. This should have been avoided. Yet over half the House Republicans voted to reverse the outcome of this election and some are spreading lies about who was responsible."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Six Asian Americans among Carnegie's this year's 'Great Immigrants'

Six Asian Americans were among the 38 immigrants  named by the Carnegie corporation to its l2020 list of “Great Immigrants, Great Americans.”

Carnegie Corporation of New York released its annual list of Great Immigrants today, honoring naturalized citizens who have enriched and strengthened the United States and our democracy through their contributions and actions. 

"Great Immigrants have come from different backgrounds and have pursued different worthwhile goals, but collectively, they have shared a desire to become citizens and have made our democratic society stronger,” said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Each Fourth of July since 2006, the philanthropic foundation has invited Americans to celebrate these exemplary individuals by participating in its online tribute “Great Immigrants, Great Americans.”

This year, the Corporation is highlighting the work of millions of immigrants who are playing an essential role in the global health crisis as COVID-19 responders. A third of the honorees are helping the recovery by serving as nurses and doctors, as well as scientists who are striving to find effective treatments and a vaccine. 

Carnegie also honored clergy and community leaders who are providing food and vital services to those in need. Overall, the 2020 Great Immigrants represent 35 countries of origin and a wide range of contributions to American life, from human rights and computer science to art, business, education, health care, journalism, music, politics, religion, research, and sports.

The Asian Americans being honored this year are:

Raj Chetty Indian immigrant and Harvard University economist launched a real-time data tracker to measure the economic impact of the pandemic and assisted decision-makers as they implemented new public policies.

Siddhartha Mukherjee Indian immigrant, physician, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author used his communication skills to educate the public and build awareness about COVID-19 through forums and his widely read essays.

Stephanie Murphy was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Her family fled the country’s communist regime by boat when she was just 6-months old. Inspired by the Pulse mass shooting, in 2016 she became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress.

Lisa Su, born in Taiwan. She developed an interest in technology early on, taking electronics apart as a child. In 2012 she joined Advance Micro Devices as senior vice president. Two years later, she was named AMD president and CEO, the company’s first female leader.

Hwajung Yoon South Korean immigrant and rescue paramedic with the Fire Department of New York provided high-level emergency care as the department responded to as many as 7,000 critical cases daily. 

Eric Yuan Chinese-born founder and CEO of Zoom created a platform that millions of Americans relied on to stay connected to family, friends, work, and school during the pandemic.

Read the full list of 2020 Great Immigrants, 

“Millions of brave Americans responded with selflessness and urgency to COVID-19, including immigrants, who represent one out of six nurses and one out of four physicians. Their contributions to health care, biomedicine, the nation’s food system, and many other critically important sectors are immeasurable,” said Gregorian. 

“We express our admiration and gratitude to the COVID-19 responders and researchers, and to all Great Immigrants. They have come from different backgrounds, and have pursued different worthwhile goals, but collectively, they have shared a desire to become citizens and have made our democratic society stronger," he said.

Gregorian noted that earlier Great Immigrants are also addressing the pandemic, including José Andrés, a chef whose nonprofit has helped feed millions of needy people and subsidized the reopening of hundreds of restaurants; Noubar Afeyan, a biotechnology entrepreneur who cofounded Moderna, an early front-runner in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine; and David Ho, a renowned AIDS researcher who is now working to limit the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

As Donald Trump makes limiting immigration a cornerstone of his campaign, Carnegie point out other examples of extraordinary contributions can be found in research by the nonprofit public policy organization, National Foundation for American Policy. It shows that immigrants to the United States have won more than one-third of the Nobel Prizes awarded to Americans in chemistry, medicine, and physics since 1901. A recent report by a Corporation grantee, the nonprofit research and advocacy group New American Economy, looked at companies on the 2019 Fortune 500 list — 20 percent were founded by immigrants, creating millions of new jobs.

The Great Immigrants initiative is a tribute to the legacy of Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant who rose from poverty to become a leading industrialist.

The 2020 honorees, who mark the 15th class of Great Immigrants, will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times today, the Fourth of July, and through a social media tribute. 

Gabbard changes her mind and joins other AAPI Congress members backing impeachment inquiry of Trump

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Tep. Tulsi Gabbard joins the majority of House Democrats in calling for an impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump.

As Congress breaks for the weekend and representatives head to their home districts, 223 of the 235 Democrats have stated they back House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's call for an impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump

However, only 218 votes are needed to impeach the White House occupant.

All of the Asian American and Pacific Islander members of the House and Senate have jumped on board for impeachment proceedings to begin, including those who earlier had taken a more cautious position.

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said Friday (Sept. 27) she has changed her position and now supports an impeachment inquiry into Trump, Immediately after House Speaker announced the impeachment inquiry, Gabbard  stated she didn't support the move because it would be "terribly divisive."

"[A]fter looking carefully at the transcript of the conversation with Ukraine's President, the whistleblower complaint, the Inspector General memo, and President Trump's comments about the issue, unfortunately, I believe that if we do not proceed with the inquiry, it will set a very dangerous precedent," the Democratic presidential candidate wrote in a statement.

"Future presidents, as well as anyone in positions of power in the government, will conclude that they can abuse their position for personal gain, without fear of accountability or consequences."

“Up to this point, I have been opposed to pursuing impeachment because it will further divide our already badly divided country," the Hawaii congresswoman said in a press release. With her revised position, Gabbard joins the other Democratic challengers vying for the partyi's nomination to run against Trump in 2020.

Gabbard said she changed her mind this week.

“However, after looking carefully at the transcript of the conversation with Ukraine’s President, the whistleblower complaint, the Inspector General memo, and President Trump’s comments about the issue, unfortunately, I believe that if we do not proceed with the inquiry, it will set a very dangerous precedent," she said. "Future presidents, as well as anyone in positions of power in the government, will conclude that they can abuse their position for personal gain, without fear of accountability or consequences."

Gabbard's announcement, makes it unanimous among the Asian American  and Pacific Islander members of the House of Representatives and House of Representatives.

Before Pelosi made the decision to move towards impeachment, Rep.Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-ILL, called for the impeachment inquiry.

"I greatly respect the electoral process and the office of the President. I was raised to respect each occupant of that office, regardless of party, and I feel strongly that no President should be impeached unless clear, substantial evidence of illegal behavior exists to sustain a conviction in the Senate.”

“That said, we have now come to a point where we must engage in an investigation to not only expose wrongdoing and prevent it from happening again, but also to determine whether the current President engaged in behavior meriting the beginning of impeachment proceedings.

Krishnamoorthi's fellow Asian American Illinois representative, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-ILL, tweeted:

“By urging the Ukrainian government to take action to influence our Democracy, Trump has violated that power and the trust of the American people,” said Rep, Andy Kim, D-NJ, in a statement. He was one of the House members withholding his full support until this week. “If the facts are corroborated, that violation, and my understanding of its implications, has led me to come to the conclusion that the President has committed an impeachable offense.”

Kim, who worked as a diplomat and national security advisor in the Obama White House and was present in the Oval Office for many similar calls Obama had with world leaders, said he’s concerned Trump may have put “personal and political gain above our national security.”

“I believe the Commander-in-Chief role is the most sacred responsibility of the Presidency, and it is the last place where partisan politics belongs. We hold this highest of standards because we know the incredible power of that singular office. It is a power that has the potential for doing incredible good, but if corrupted, it weakens America’s national security, international standing and the framework of our very Democracy,” Kim said in his prepared statement.

Rep. Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-07) released the following statement on impeachment.

“After reading the Mueller Report and witnessing the President’s actions, it has been clear to me that President Trump has committed impeachable offenses and went to great lengths to commit obstruction of justice on several occasions.

Multiple committees with jurisdiction have been conducting important and necessary oversight, including investigating and holding hearings into obstruction, corruption, and abuse of power by President Trump. I have supported the committees' actions and will continue to do so, including an impeachment inquiry.

Congress has the constitutional authority to hold the president accountable for his actions. I am confident we will do so.”

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Homeland Security targets Cambodians, Vietnamese Americans for deportation

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Cambodian Americans protest the deportations.

UPDATED Dec. 14 to include comments from NAPAWF.

WHILE MOST OF THE ATTENTION has been focused on Trump's Damn Wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and blocking Central American asylum seekers, the administration has been quietly been pushing to deport more refugees from Southeast Asia, primarily Vietnamese and Cambodians.

“We are horrified by the Trump administration’s announcement of intent to deport Southeast Asian immigrants. This stunning attack on Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrants means that many who have called the United States home for years and may have no memory of living elsewhere will be sent to a country they no longer recognize,” said Dorothy He of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. 

“Like millions of other Asian immigrants, most of these individuals fled from war, hoping to rebuild their lives in a country they thought would respect their agency and right to make choices about their bodies, their lives, and their families. Now, they are being penalized for simply having dared to envision a better life — one without violence or fear,” she said.

As soon as next Monday (Dec. 17), 46 Cambodian American refugees are slated to be deported to Cambodia. It will be the largest deportation of Cambodians in U.S. history. The previous record of 40 was only eight months ago. One hundred Cambodian Americans have been deported this year, almost three times the number deported in 2017.

Between 1975 and 2000, the U.S. accepted 145,000 Cambodian refugees as part of an influx of Cambodians displaced by war.

In April, Cambodia told Washington that they would no longer accept deportations of Cambodian Americans after the Cambodian government witnessed the inhumane impacts of the deportations. Since then, the U.S. bullied Cambodia by threatening to impose travel sanctions on Cambodian officials looking to travel to the U.S.

The transition for Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees who resettled in the U.S. in the years following the Vietnam War was not easy. Due to ad hoc resettlement practices, they were often placed in resource-poor and economically deteriorating neighborhoods, where they lacked a supportive community or access to mental health services to cope with war-related trauma. 

Under these challenging conditions, some made mistakes leading to criminal convictions and ultimately deportation orders. Despite these early challenges, after serving their sentences, many have gone on to live productive lives, started families and found jobs.
Gov. Jerry Brown has pardoned a few of the young men so that they no longer were priorities for deportation, The San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus has appealed to the California governor to pardon the Cambodians to prevent their deportation.

Also eligible for deportation are the Vietnamese immigrants who arrived in the country before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Vietnam and Cambodian Americans who fled the Khmer Rouge regime.

“We are seeing increased enforcement efforts, not just to detain those who are already vulnerable to removal but to pressure countries to expand how many people they are willing to accept overall,” said Katrina Dizon Mariategue, director of national policy at the nonprofit Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC). “It is clear that they are not taking into account factors such as impact on families and communities, nor the humanitarian implications of deporting refugees.”

A State Department spokesperson confirmed the U.S.-Vietnam negotiations to HuffPost but declined to divulge the full details of the “private diplomatic conversations.” The spokesperson noted, however, that “the U.S. Government and the Vietnamese Government continue to discuss our respective positions relative to Vietnamese citizens who are now subject to final orders of removal.”

Florida's Rep. Stephanie Murphy opposes Donald Trump's efforts to deport Southeast Asian refugees.

“My family fled Communist Vietnam when I was a baby because they would have rather died in search of light than to have lived in darkness,” Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., stated today (Dec. 12) on Twitter. “Thanks to a program under President Carter, we resettled to the U.S., and I became a proud citizen of this great nation.”

Murphy, the first Vietnamese American woman to serve in Congress, added in a second tweet, “As an American, I’m deeply concerned by [Trump’s] attempts to renegotiate the 2008 MOU between Vietnam and the U.S., which would potentially deport Vietnamese refugees who arrived in the U.S. before 1995.”

“This debate is about keeping our promises and honoring this country's longstanding humanitarian spirit,” Murphy said. “I urge [Trump] to be mindful of this proposed policy's impacts on thousands of families. We can keep America safe and continue to uphold our fundamental American values.”

Fifteen community organizations and over 50 state and local elected officials from 9 states joined Advancing Justice and SEARAC in sending letters to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Donald Trump, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging them to halt any changes to the agreement that would make "pre-95" immigrants subject to deportation or weaken any of the humanitarian considerations reflected in the agreement.

Modifications to the agreement could potentially make over 8,500 individuals immediately vulnerable to deportation. Many of these community members came to the United States as refugees, fleeing war and persecution, and have lived here peacefully for decades.

"For many years now, the repatriation agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam has afforded thousands of former Vietnamese refugees the opportunity to move past mistakes they've made and rebuild their lives in the country that they call home," said Phi Nguyen, litigation director at Advancing Justice - Atlanta. 

"The agreement recognizes the inhumanity of forcing refugees to return to a country that they fled many years ago in the aftermath of a U.S.-backed war. Our government should not turn its back now on the very people it felt a responsibility to take in."

in the April issue of Foreign Service Journal Ted Osius, the former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, said he was told to pressure the Vietnamese government to take back more than 8,000 people ― most of whom were refugees who had “fled South Vietnam on boats and through the jungle” after the Vietnam War. Osius said he quit the State Department last year over the Trump administration’s plans to deport the refugees.

“The majority targeted for deportation — sometimes for minor infractions — were war refugees who had sided with the United States, whose loyalty was to the flag of a nation that no longer exists,” Osius wrote in the Journal. “And they were to be ‘returned’ decades later to a nation ruled by a communist regime with which they had never reconciled. I feared many would become human rights cases, and our government would be culpable.”

“America is my home now. All my family is here. My life is here," said Dai Diep, who came to the U.S. as a refugee in May 1995. "I hope that the U.S. government will act with honor and compassion—not just for myself but for the thousands of others who are in the same situation as me.”
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