Over the weekend Republican Mike Gallagher, Chairman of the new House select committee on China, condemned his Republican colleague’s racist attacks on Congresswoman Judy Chu that questioned her loyalty to the United States, falsely suggesting Chu had ties to the Chinese Communist Party to stoke hatred and division.
However, Young Kim and Michelle Steel, who sits on the same select committee as Gallagher, have refused to condemn the racist attacks on their AAPI colleague. Their continued silence sends a dangerous message.
For her part, Steel might be reluctant to condemn these attacks because she would, by default, be condemning her own playbook of using misinformation and “McCarthyism” for political power. In her 2022 re-election bid, Steel used similar tactics to attack her AAPI Democrat opponent – pushing false and debunked claims about ties to communism through ads and mailers.
Allen Chen, Senior Advisor for AAPI Engagement:
“Young Kim and Michelle Steel have shown their communities and the broader AAPI community that they are self-serving politicians, willing to condone dangerous, racist attacks on Asian Americans if it serves them politically. It is disgusting and voters will hold them accountable.”
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