House Democrats are revolting after Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden questioned the loyalty of Chinese-American Rep. Judy Chu and suggested she shouldn’t be privy to classified information.
The remarks came after Chu defended President Biden’s pick to lead U.S. trade interests in Asia, Dominic Ng against accusations that he is working on behalf of Beijing.
‘I question her either loyalty or competence,’ Gooden said on Fox News on Wednesday. ‘If she doesn’t realize what’s going on then she’s totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies.’
Chu, a Democrat from California, called Gooden’s remarks ‘racist’ and demanded an apology.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the accusations ‘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,’ Jeffries said.
Chu had defended business executive and Democratic donor Ng after the Daily Caller published a report saying that Ng had been a member of two Chinese front groups.
Biden appointed Ng, CEO of East West Bank, last year to head the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council.
Ng served as executive director at the China Overseas Exchange Association (COEA) from 2013 to 2017, before taking on a five-year term as executive director of the related China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA) in 2019, according to the Caller.
House Democrats are revolting after Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden questioned the loyalty of Chinese-American Rep. Judy Chu and suggested she shouldn’t be privy to classified information
‘I question her either loyalty or competence,’ Rep Lance Gooden said on Fox News on Wednesday. ‘If she doesn’t realize what’s going on then she’s totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies’
The Caller cited reports from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) that found both the COEA and COFA are front groups for United Front Work Department (UFWD), a CCP agency that does intelligence and influence operations.
Gooden, member of the Judiciary Committee, and five other Republicans demanded Ng be investigated by the FBI.
Chu, head of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, led her Democratic colleagues in a statement condemning the outrage over Ng as ‘profiling.’
‘No Chinese Americans — indeed no Americans — should face suspicions of disloyalty or treason based on their ethnicity, nation of origin, or that of their family members,’ the Democrats said.
Gooden characterized Chu as the ‘ringleader’ of Ng’s defense and told Fox: ‘We’re standing up to communist China and these Democrats’ first reaction is to come to their defense and call us all racists.’
‘I’m really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance and be entitled to confidential intelligence briefings until this is figured out.’
Members of Congress don’t always hold official security clearances but are generally deemed trustworthy with classified information in briefings.
Asked about the criticism of his remarks from Chu and Jeffries, Gooden said in a statement: ‘Rather than following facts that indicate the presence of Chinese espionage, Chu and Jeffries are playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation.’
The clash comes at a time of fraught political tensions between Beijing and Washington, with House Republicans setting their sights on China competition and Covid-19 origins and the Pentagon upping the number of U.S. forces in Taiwan amid fears of a Chinese invasion.
Efforts to limit Beijing’s power around the world are ramping up amid fears that the CCP will provide assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
