Three Asian Americans receiving commutations from Trump

Three Asian Americans received last-minute commutations by Donald Trump late Tuesday, the waning before Trump leaves the White House and hands the reins of power to President-elect Joe Biden.

Early Wednesday morning, in the final hours of his presidency Trump was still signing pardons and commutations. 

It is not unusual for Presidents to issue pardons and commutations before leaving office. In fact, Trump has not used the power of clemency as frequently as other Presidents. In contrast, Obama granted clemency 1,927 times during his eight-year tenure, including 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations.

On Trump's list are close associates and friends, including Roger Stone and Paul Manafort and George Papadopoulos. 

Steve Bannon, a former Trump confidante received a last-minute pardon even though he hasn't been convicted for alleged fraud in using funds raised to construct a fence between Mexico and the U.S. for other purposes. Apparently going against staff recommendations, after a phone call with Bannon, Trump decided to give him a pre-emptive pardon in case he is indicted.

He also commuted the sentence of his son-in-law's father Charles Kushner who was serving time for to 16 counts of tax evasion, one count of retaliating against a federal witness, and one count of lying to the Federal Election Commission.

Trump granted pardons or commutations to tw rappers: Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known as Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty in December to having illegally possessed a gold-plated .45-caliber Glock handgun and ammunition as a felon; and Bill Kapri, known as Kodak Black, who was sentenced in 2019 to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to lying on background paperwork while trying to buy guns.

A pardon cancels a criminal conviction, while a commutation shortens or ends a prison sentence.

Among those receiving commutations are three Asian Americans who were serving their sentences, including:

Way Quoe Long –  Long is a 58 year-old who has served nearly half of a 50-year sentence for a non-violent conviction for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana. Long has spent his incarceration striving to better himself through English proficiency classes and by obtaining his GED.  Upon release, Mr. Long will reunite with his family and will be strongly supported as he integrates back into the community.

Kyle Kimoto –  Kimoto is a father of six who has served 12 years of his 29 year sentence for a non-violent telemarketing fraud scheme.  Kimoto has been an exemplary prisoner, has held numerous jobs, shown remorse, and mentored other inmates in faith. Upon his release, he has a job offer and will help care for his six children and three grandchildren.

Amir Khan –  This pardon is supported by his adult children and members of the community. Khan pled guilty to wire fraud. Notably, he immediately paid back the victim more than in full and has demonstrated remorse for his conduct. Prior to the pandemic,  Khan volunteered at the organization 3 Square Meals, and has regularly donated to charities including St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Boys Town, Covenant House, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and the Salvation Army.

Steve Bannon blames Asians for taking jobs from African Americans and Latinos

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

CNN host Fareed Zakaria interviewed for Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon, right

RADICAL CONSERVATIVE Steve Bannon recently took swiped at immigrants who come to America on H-1B visas, the majority of whom come from Asia. 

In an interview with Fareed Zakaria, which aired on CNN a week ago, the former White House chief strategist known for his hardline stance on immigration said that if “you’re from Asia and you’re here, second-generation, you’re (an) American citizen, that’s absolutely no problem.”

But Bannon told the Indian American host that he felt differently about those who are in the U.S. via the visa, which allows employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. 

“These (H-1B) visas where you come here… basically to take the jobs of American citizens is just not acceptable. And that’s not racist,” Bannon said. “The central beating heart of this is that Hispanics and blacks have to get into the high valuated tech jobs; we’re never going to do that as long as they have unfair competition.”

JOHN YANG

Zakaria mentioned remarks by Bannon last year in which he said that “two-thirds or three-quarters of the CEOs in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia,” and that the U.S. “is more than an economy. We’re a civic society.”

Pressed to explain his views, the former former CEO for the conservative Breitbart News, said he was espousing “economic nationalism,” which he claimed has nothing to do with race, ethnicity, religion or gender, but concerns American citizenship. 

The overwhelming majority of H-1B visas go to immigrants from Asia, specifically India and China. Those who qualify for them have a bachelor’s degree or higher and work in fields that require highly specialized knowledge, especially in the fields of medicine and tech.

Bannon’s comments, however, are based off various stereotypes and fears of Asian immigrants, said John C. Yang, the executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC). 

Bannon is particularly misguided by the “model minority” myth that Asians have higher incomes and higher levels of education than other minorities, said Yang.

RELATED: Bannon says Catholic Church needs immigrants for economic reasons

“I think what Mr. Bannon is clearly trying to do is race-bait. He is trying to drive a wedge between races,” Yang told HuffPost. “What he’s really doing is trying to limit opportunities for all minorities.” 

“He’s just trying to draw a wedge and he’s hoping that somehow that African Americans and Hispanic Americans will read his quote and find alliance with him rather than with all the minorities.

Bannon's theory against the H-1B visa holders has repeatedly been debunked by numerous studies.

A New American Economy study showed placing caps on the H-1B visas actually disproportionately hurt U.S.-born tech workers, especially those who have bachelor’s degrees. H-1B visa denials in 2007 and 2008 slowed down jobs and wage growth and caused over 200 metropolitan areas to miss out on creating 231,224 tech jobs for U.S.-born workers. It also cost college-educated tech workers as much as $3 billion in total annual earnings.

Bannon's assertion that Asians comprise the majority of tech C.E.O. positions is way off the mark. A recent study by Ascend, a nonprofit group for Pan-Asian business leaders, concluded that although Asians and Asian-Americans are well represented in lower positions at companies— 27 percent of professionals at Silicon Valley tech companies -- less than 19 percent of managers, and fewer than 14 percent of executives at Silicon Valley tech companies are Asian or Asian American. Instead of having an overabundance of Asians in leadership positions, the data strongly suggests that systemic bias prevents Asians and Asian Americans from moving up the career ladder in proportionate numbers.

Ascend also found that when it comes to career advancement in Silicon Valley, race trumps gender. It found that U.S.-born white men and women are 154 percent more likely to have top executive roles in large companies rather than their Asian counterparts.

“If he really believed that he wanted to get more opportunities for minorities…then he should be talking about increasing educational opportunities for minorities,"  said Yang, . "He should not be talking about how one race is supposedly taking from another race. That’s just not the reality here.”

________________________________________________________________________________

DACA: Steve Bannon says Catholic Church needs immigrants for economic reasons

Steve Bannon

IF STEVE BANNON were to come into my church, he'd take one look at all the brown-skinned, black-haired, Filipinos, Vietnamese and Latinos in the pews and do a quick 180 and make an exit to the parking lot.

Bannon, the former chief strategist to Donald Trump, claims leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church oppose 45's decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation, because they believe in “unlimited illegal immigration” and need “illegal aliens to fill the churches.”

Bannon, a life-long Catholic, made his allegations during an interview with 60 Minutes that will air Sunday. 60 Minutes released portions of the Bannon interview today (Sept. 7).

Bannon is linked to right-wing Catholics who oppose the relatively progressive theology of Pope Francis. The wildly popular pontiff’s stances on climate change, immigration, and equity economics has made him a media darling among western liberals, but has drawn the ire of conservative Catholics.

Speaking about the position taken by the usually cautious U.S. bishops (who cannot be accused of being liberal) on DACA, Bannon said, “They need illegal aliens to fill the churches. It’s obvious on the face of it.

“Catholic bishops condemn him (because) they have an economic interest," he continued.  "They have an economic interest in unlimited immigration, unlimited illegal immigration." 

It's true that church membership has seen a drop in recent years. It's also true that immigrants from Latin America and Asia, primarily Vietnam and the Philippines, carrying their devout practices from their homeland to the U.S. is changing the face of the Catholic Church in some areas of our country. But to characterize the changing demographics of the church as undocumented immigrants is crazy.

Bannon is doing what white supremacists typically do, they make everything about themselves. They see immigrants from non-white countries (Canada, Europe and Australia is OK) as a threat to their cultural dominance and assumed privilege. No matter where they might fall in the economic scale - they can be jobless and on welfare - but in order to make themselves feel better, they can always fall back on that inherited status.

Catholic bishops have roundly criticized the Trump administration’s decision on Tuesday to end DACA, created by executive order from former President Barack Obama to protect so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. at a young age.

New York Archbishop Timonthy Dolan reacted to Trump's decision and announced by Attorney General Jeff Session: “This is contrary to the spirit of the Bible and of our country, and a turning away from the ideals upon which our beloved country was founded,” he said in a statement. “All of the ‘Dreamers’ who now face such uncertainty and fear, please know that the Catholic Church loves you, welcomes you, and will fight to protect your rights and your dignity.”

The condemnation of Trump's decision came from every corner of the U.S. Catholic Church:

• Rev. José H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, called the announcement “a national tragedy and a moral challenge to every conscience.”

• Chicago archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich called Trump’s announcement “heartless” in a statement, saying it would leave Dreamers “in a six-month limbo, during which Congress is supposed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, a feat they have been unable to achieve for a decade.”

• The Rev. Timothy Kesicki, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, addressed his statement directly to Dreamers, saying: “We write on this difficult day to remind you of God’s love for you and to tell you that you are not alone.”... “We call upon Congress to act without delay in enacting a lasting solution, but more than ever, we commit ourselves to living out God’s law, which calls on us to love the stranger, remembering that our ancestors in faith were once strangers in a foreign land.”

• The U.S. branch of Sisters of Mercy, a religious order of Catholic women, released a statement decrying the decision as a “historic injustice and a violation of the human dignity of over 800,000 young people.”

The relationship between Trump and the Catholic bishops appears to be a marriage of convenience rather than the love affair he has with evangelical ministers. Although many evangelicals warmly embraced Trump's candidacy, the U.S. Catholic bishops never publicly endorsed him. However, they did express strong support for some of his positions — for example, his opposition to abortion and his support for religious freedom.

What really disturbs the bishops is 45’s actions on immigration and refugee policy which generally went against their position on immigration reform. During the first seven months of the Trump administration, the bishops issued over 20 statements on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, all of them very critical of the Trump administration.

The bishops did not mince their words: The bishops said they were “disheartened,” “deeply troubled,” “deeply concerned” and “disappointed” by the president’s actions on immigration and refugees. They worried about “bigotry,” “fear and intolerance.” The president’s actions were “alarming,” “devastating” and “injurious.” He was putting people “in harm’s way” and making “migrants, especially vulnerable women and children, more susceptible to traffickers and smugglers.” They protested the president’s executive order that “virtually shuts down the refugee admissions program,” which affected resettlement programs run by the church.

The bishops and other Catholic organizations view their position on immigration as a fulfillment of what they see as their Christian duty to "welcome the stranger."

Bannon's views, unfortunately, may be a reflection of the old American Catholic Church that was once dominated by whites. 

According to a Public Religion Research Institute poll, 55 percent of U.S. Catholics are white and non-Hispanic. That number was nearly 90 percent 25 years ago. And with 52 percent of Catholics under 30 being Latino, those numbers will be changing much more significantly.

The Washington Post writes that less than half of white Catholics (44 percent) believe immigrants strengthen the country, according to a 2015 Public Religion Research Institute poll. The same survey found that more than 4 in 10 white Catholics say immigrants threaten traditional American customs and values.

Trump won those bastions of white Catholicism in places like Pennsylvania, and other eastern states.

San Francisco's St. Patrick's Catholic Church is predominantly Filipino.

On the west coast and along the southern border, the future of the church is much more diverse and, not surprisingly, attendance at Mass is robust.

As white attendance to Mass drops, their seats are being filled with the new immigrants. The Catholic Church, in response, has tailored their services to accommodate the new parishioners. In California, at least, most churches have masses in Spanish. 

At San Francisco's St. Patrick's in what used to be an Irish neighborhood, the church has several masses in Tagalog, a Filipino dialect, since the old church is a community gathering place in the Filipino Heritage District. In my own church, we have a mass that continues the traditions of Vietnamese.

If Bannon were to come to my church, if he resisted the temptation to flee and stayed for the services, as a stranger, he would be welcomed.

(60 Minutes airs Sunday, 7 p.m. on CBS.)

________________________________________________________________

Is Trump calling for a new Crusade?

The 'West' vs. the world; Donald Trump speaks in Poland 

I KEEP hoping that I'll wake up and the last six months would turn out to just be a nightmare. But no, Donald Trump is still there tweeting from the White House or delivering one of the most frightening speeches of his fledgling presidency.

The speech Trump gave last Thursday in Poland is so deeply troubling I find it hard to describe without referencing 1930's Germany. At the very least, it sounded like a call to arms to defend "western civilization," against the invading hordes from the east and south.

Trump's words sounded much like the rhetoric and world view espoused by white supremacists, rebranded as the alt-right, of the United States and extreme conservatism that is in power in Poland and threatening other parts of Europe.

"We must work together to confront forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the South or the East, that threaten over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith, and tradition that make us who we are,” said Trump. “If left unchecked, these forces will undermine our courage, sap our spirit, and weaken our will to defend ourselves and our societies.”

These are clearly not his words. The rhetorical flourishes in the speech come from a man whose most extreme denunciation is "very, very bad." It is basically a rewriting of Steve Bannon's speech 

In case you didn't get the message directed at his white audience, Trump went on to say, “The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” said the president, before posing a series of questions: “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?”

But taken in the greater context of his six months in power, the speech is more than just an attack on terrorism. It pretty much reveals the true face of racism that has been a core element of his presidency and the campaign leading up to it. Trump's whole attempt to undermine President Barack Obama by continually questioning his legitimacy through his birther campaign is based on -- let's say it out loud and call it for what it is -- racism.

I know by bringing up "racism," some readers might think of me as the guy who called out "wolf" too often. But, too often, it is racism and it needs to be confronted and not ignored. 

"Western civilization," as uttered by Trump, is code for "white!" The "West" includes only white Europe and America and white Christendom. 

The speech in Poland was a dog whistle against the world's nonwhite peoples. Mexico and Latin America are not included in Trump's "West" otherwise he would open the southern borders to those of the Christian faith. In that instance, race trumps religion.

We need to also look at the context in which Trump speaks to his people. Trump has continued to scapegoat immigrants of color and seeks to disenfranchise votors of color and his close "advisors" have their roots in white supremacism 

Chance Devega writes in Salon: "Donald Trump’s administration is built around a brain trust of white nationalists. To deny that fact is to ignore a crucial element of this national crisis: America’s 'greatest generation' defeated Nazism during World War II, and 70 or so years later one of the country’s two leading political parties has injected a more polite version of that poison into its veins and rode to power in Washington on a wave of bigotry and racism."

Among the men who have President Trump’s ear, we find White House strategist Steve Bannon, senior adviser Stephen Miller, deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka and newly installed Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

In Poland, Trump seemed to be channeling Steve Bannon, who through the rightwing Breitbart news organ, mainstreamed the alt-right. 

In a 2014 speech, delivered through Skype, in front of the conservative Catholic goruop, the Human Dignityi Institute, Bannon described a vast, historic, and religious struggle between the West and its many adversaries. He urged that militant Christians “fight for our beliefs against this new barbarity that’s starting.” In this great battle, the U.S. is clearly identified as the primary flag bearer of the Good and the True, embodying both “a church and a civilization” that is nothing less than the “flower of mankind.

In previous speeches by U.S. Presidents on European soill, Ronald Reagan, both Bushes and Barack Obama extolled the virtues of democracy and a free market and a free society vs. those who build walls to keep their people in, disdain a free press and limit human rights.

In contrast, Trump expressed his disdain of democratic institutions such as an independent judiciary, a free press and seeks to limit travel and turns his back against refugees fleeing despotic regimes. To his Polish hosts, Trump's words must have sounded sweet. 
Poland is run by conservative Law and Justice political party that has launched an assault on the press and courts and, by doing so, alienated all of its most important European neighbors. In Poland, Trump has found a role model for where he wants for the U.S.

Trump might be calling for a new Crusade - a word that will get the attention of Muslims. If so, he's playing right into the hands of Isis and other extremists of that ilk. I can see his speech being replayed on terrorists' websites around the world as a rallying cry against the United States.

###

Steve Bannon thinks there are too many Asians in Silicon Valley

Donald Trump wants controversial Steve Bannon as one of his top advisors.

THE NOMINATION of Steve Bannon as President-elect Donald Trump's chief strategist might be more than a little worrisome to Asian/Americans.

If you didn't already know that Bannon is the CEO of a news website that celebrates the "glorious" history of the Confederate flag, and under whose leadership has become the chief outlet for ultraconservative, racist views of the alt-right and whose biased and often misleading reports under the guise of real and accurate news is the primary source of information for Trump, then the following should give you pause.

In an interview in November 2015 with candidate Donald Trump, during which host Bannon fawned and manipulated his guest by massaging his ego, Bannon put forth some views about Asian/Americans which suggests he harbors strong anti-Asian sentiments.

Trump told Bannon that he was concerned that foreign students attending Ivy League schools have to return home because of U.S. immigraiton laws.

"I think that's terrible," Trump said on the show, referring to immigrants from Asia who went to "Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Stanford, all the greats" and then got thrown out of the country.

"We have to be careful of that, Steve," said Trump. "You know, we have keep our talented people in this country.

After a pause, Bannon mustered up all his intellect and said, "Um."

"I think you agree with that," continued Trump. "Do you agree with that?"

Another pause. 

"When two-thirds or three-quaters of the CEOs in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia, I think ..." Bannon paused trying to think of a way to say his next statement without sounding racist. "A country is more than an economy," he finally said. "We're a civic society."

Bannon’s “facts” were, in fact, well off. A May 2015 study found that 27 percent of professionals working in Silicon Valley companies were Asian or Asian-American. They represented less than 19 percent of managers and under 14 percent of executives, according to the report.
Rep. Judy Chu, D, Calif., wrote a letter to Trump protesting Bannon's appointment. "At Breitbart News, Bannon, she said, "aggressive pushed stories that promoted anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism."

Bannon was the main driver behind Breitbart becoming a white ethno-nationalist propaganda mill,” the Southern Poverty Law Center tweeted on Sunday, linking to Breitbart articles under Bannon’s leadership with headlines including: “Hoist it High and Proud: the Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage,” written two weeks after the a mass killing of Black parishioners at a church in Charleston last year.

The SPLC has identified Bannon as a member of a white nationalist hate group.

“The ADL strongly opposes the appointment of Steve Bannon as senior advisor and chief strategist in the White House," said Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on Sunday. 

"It is a sad day when a man who presided over the premier website of the ‘alt-right’ — a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists — is slated to be a senior staff member in the ‘people’s house.’”

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Alternative Right, or Alt-Right, “is a loose set of far-right ideologies at the core of which is a belief that ‘white identity’ is under attack through policies prioritizing multiculturalism, political correctness and social justice and must be preserved, usually through white-identified online communities and physical ethno-states.” SPLC adds that “racist ideas, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideas –– all key tenets making up [this] emerging racist ideology.”

“The appointment of Stephen Bannon as a top Trump administration strategist sends the disturbing message that anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and white nationalist ideology will be welcome in the White House,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American–Islamic Relations, in a statement Sunday. “We urge President-elect Trump to reconsider this ill-advised appointment if he truly seeks to unite Americans.”

Having Steve Bannon as one of Trump's close advisors is a frightening prospect considering his apparent world view.

###