Congressman Ted Lieu Questions AG Garland on “China Initiative” and Racial Profiling

Congressman Ted Lieu Questions AG Garland on “China Initiative” and Racial Profiling

On October 21, 2021, the House Judiciary Committee held an oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice. Congressman Ted Lieu asked Attorney General Merrick Garland several questions on the “China Initiative” and implicit bias training. AG Garland appeared to be unprepared for the issues raised as evidenced by his responses:

The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act cited by AG Garland was enacted to address anti-Asian hate violence, not the racial profiling and discrimination concerns raised by Congressman Lieu.
The implicit bias training mandated by then AG Loretta Lynch in June 2016 serves to reduce bias and discrimination in law enforcement. The NO FEAR Act of 2002 cited by AG Garland applies federal managers and supervisors on unlawful discrimination and retaliation. One tweet also commented that tackling implicit bias requires work far beyond “training” and hopes that the Department of Justice commits to a holistic response.

AG Garland stated that there will be a review of the “China Initiative,” but it will be conducted by Matt Olsen, who was nominated by the President to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division on May 27, 2021. He has not yet been confirmed after 6 months, and the Senate has not set a date for his confirmation.

At the end of his questions, Congressman Lieu submitted three documents for record:

2021/09/08 Winds of Freedom: Stanford Faculty Members Open Letter to AG Garland to End the “China Initiative”

2021/09/21 Committee of 100: Racial Disparities in Economic Espionage Act Prosecutions: A Window Into The New Red Scare

2021/09/25 University World News: Professor acquittal – Is China Initiative out of control?

Watch the exchange between Congressman Lieu and AG Garland here: https://bit.ly/3GfBWlU (video 5:37)

Update on Campaign to Send Letter to AG Garland to End the “China Initiative”
On October 18, 2021, 198 Princeton faculty members endorsed the Stanford letter and sent their letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for the end of the “China Initiative.” On October 22, 2021, the Asian American Scholar Forum posted an open message Call for Your support on Open Letters to End “China Initiative.” To date, APA justice has collected over 275 sign-ons from more than 110 institutions to its letter to be sent to AG Garland in the first week of November. Please help to spread the word and encourage faculty members, scholars, and administrators across the country to join the campaign by:

Signing on to this campaign before November 3, 2021: https://bit.ly/EndorseStanfordLetter

Following the Instructions in the Winds of Freedom website to endorse the Stanford letter or send your own letter: https://bit.ly/38ZxKre

Peter Michelson, Senior Associate Dean at Stanford University, will speak on this topic in the November 1 APA Justice monthly meeting, along with Princeton University Professor Kai Li, American Physical Society Director of Government Affairs Mark Elsesser, and University at Albany Professor Ron Yang.