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Rep. Wu Refused Entry to Energy Dept.

David Wu, D-Ore.

Guards suspicious of congressman’s citizenship

By Sam Chu Lin

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month turned out to be less than a celebration for Oregon Congressman David Wu.

Last Wednesday, guards stopped Wu from entering the Department of Energy headquarters. The only Chinese American ever elected to the House, Wu was there to deliver a speech in honor of the APA Heritage Month. Instead, he was asked two times if he were American.

Wu and his aide, Ted Liu, showed the guards their congressional identifications, but guards refused to accept them. After about 15 minutes, the two requested to talk to a supervisor and a lieutenant was summoned. Only after that, was Wu allowed in.

“Most strikingly, I was asked a couple of times whether I am a U.S. citizen or not,” Wu said. “This was both after I showed my congressional ID and after Ted Liu showed him his staff ID. I just find that incredibly ironic because I was going down there at their invitation to try to help them with its Asian Pacific American Heritage celebration.”

After Wu told colleague Michael Capuano about the episode, the Massachusetts representative and his two aides went to the Energy Department the next day to test security. Unsurprisingly, he was not subjected to the same treatment.

According to DOE officials, Wu was questioned about his citizenship, as are all people wishing to enter the building. It was also explained that congressional IDs are easy to fake. But Wu’s communication director Holly Armstrong said she contacted Capitol Police and was told there was only one incident of identification forgery. That happened over 20 years ago and was never proven.

Department spokesperson Jeanne Lopatto denied Wu and his aide were treated differently from others who enter the building. She said the mix-up occurred because Wu entered through a basement entrance, instead of the first-floor entrance, where a host was waiting for him. “Everyone who comes to the building” has to check a form stating whether or not they are American citizens, she added.

“Our security people did what they were supposed to do,” Lopatto said. “It’s unfortunate that the congressman was held up on his way to his meeting, and we regret that.”

The incident brought quick reaction from Capitol Hill.

“I am outraged at this deeply offensive conduct,” Rep. Bob Matsui, D-Sacramento, said. “No American citizen, including a Congressman, should have their citizenship questioned because they are of Asian ancestry. I am alarmed that the Department and spokeswoman Jeanne Lopatto were not more responsive to such an egregious injustice. I call on the department’s inspector general to conduct a thorough, speedy investigation into this incident.”

Wu said he has visited the White House and other high security areas without any problems. In the wake of the Wen Ho Lee incident, he said he is wondering if “this is the tip of the iceberg of a larger, broader problem at the Energy Department.”

Last year, the FBI botched its investigation of nuclear scientist Lee, who was indicted on 59 counts of mishandling nuclear weapons secrets. Lee spent nine months in solitary confinement before all but one count was dropped.

As a member of the congressional committee on science, Wu noted that many Asian American graduate students and scientists are now refusing to send their resumes to the department and are seeking employment elsewhere. And there is a feeling among the API scientific community that the Energy Department employs racial profiling tactics.

“This incident is not about me,” Wu said. “It’s about our national security. One challenge is keeping our national secrets, secret. But the other challenge is to have good, talented people working hard to generate additional technology and information faster than any other nation can do that.

“If there is a hostile work environment there at DOE, we need to check this out and address this problem aggressively and quickly.”

Wu sent a letter of protest to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. “The conduct of the DOE guards is both ironic and disturbing,” Wu wrote. Since then, Wu said, Abraham dropped by his office to offer his personal apology and promised to look into the matter.