Asian American advocacy groups oppose nomination of US attorney candidate in Tennessee

August 31, 2022

Asian American advocacy groups have opposed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Casey Arrowood to serve as U.S. Attorney.

Arrowood, an assistant U.S. Attorney, is one of Biden’s nominees to serve as the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee. On July 29, the president announced his candidacy to hold the top position in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Knoxville.

Advocacy groups, including APA Justice, Asian American Scholar Forum, Tennessee Chinese American Alliance and United Chinese Americans, are calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Biden administration to reject the nomination of Arrowood following his role in the wrongful prosecution of a University of Tennessee professor.

Arrowood was the lead prosecutor in the case of professor Anming Hu, an internationally renowned nanotechnology expert who was targeted by FBI Agent Kujtim Sadiku under the Trump administration’s “China Initiative.”

The now-defunct initiative was an effort to hunt down and remove Chinese spies operating in America. The practice had reportedly targeted Chinese researchers and professors at universities, making them the primary targets of prosecution efforts.

Hu was the first person to be prosecuted and tried in a wire fraud case before he was acquitted of all charges after the government’s evidence was deemed insufficient.

In an interview with Tennessee Lookout, Hu called the nomination “ridiculous.” He urged Biden to withdraw Arrowood’s name from consideration. The Asian American advocacy groups are supporting Hu with their nationwide campaign.

“The nomination of Mr. Arrowood is an affront to the Asian American, immigrant and scientific communities,” the groups stated in a campaign notice. “It opens a new wound when we still need to heal from the targeting and fallout before and during the ‘China Initiative.’”

“Mr. Arrowood’s wrongful prosecution of Professor Hu betrayed the public trust and confidence we all place in our judicial system,” they added. “His unjust prosecution of Professor Hu, not once but twice, is deplorable and an embarrassment to our nation. In summary, Mr. Arrowood’s track record does not meet the high requirements and expectations for a U.S. Attorney.”

Featured Image via MSNBC

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