Los Angeles, California – AAPI Equity Alliance, a co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, condemns a recent letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from six members of Congress demanding an investigation into Dominic Ng, CEO of East West Bank and President Biden’s appointment to be Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council.
The letter falsely alleges that the appointment violates the Espionage Act. Several media outlets along with Congressman Lance Gooden subsequently questioned Mr. Ng’s loyalty to the United States, and when Congresswoman Judy Chu, one of the highest-ranking Asian American lawmakers in the country, defended Mr. Ng’s appointment, they questioned her loyalty as well.
Unfortunately, charges of disloyalty have often been used to denigrate Asian Americans for a long time. Dominic Ng’s story is an example of the American Dream. He grew a small, Los Angeles savings and loan company serving immigrants into the country’s largest Minority Depository Institution. And as with any presidential appointee, he has been thoroughly vetted. Congresswoman Judy Chu has been a public servant and trailblazer for decades. She is a role model who is recognized for her exemplary leadership and her commitment to American democracy. Congresswoman Chu and Mr. Ng are respected American leaders in their fields, so to question their loyalty is both racist and dangerous.
Asian Americans have long suffered toxic xenophobia spewed by politicians, particularly during the last several years. We have been scapegoated and violently attacked. Elected officials who continue to use racist rhetoric and harmful tropes to score political points must be held accountable.
