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During a House Judiciary markup on Tuesday, Rep. Dan Bishop (R, NC-8) said he did not know what the acronym for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) stood for.
Bishop, a Republican from Charlotte, North Carolina, rejected a declaration of congressional support for federal action against hate crimes involving AAPI communities, white nationalism and antisemitism.
Bishop said that he did not understand why the amendment was part of Tuesday’s discussions on the House Judiciary Committee’s authorization and oversight plan.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D, CA-28), a Democrat from California, proposed the amendment to the committee’s oversight plan, citing a “very simple, straightforward amendment” to “support federal efforts to combat domestic violent extremism, with a particular focus on crimes motivated by bigotry.”
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In 2020, hate crimes in the U.S. rose by 30% to the country’s highest levels in 12 years. According to a study by the FBI, 60% of the crimes were perpetrated because of a person’s ethnicity, race or ancestry.
Crimes against Asian Americans notably increased by 70%, prompting Congress to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in 2021.
However, the committee’s conversation led to arguments regarding white nationalism, Christianity and “wokeism.”
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Bishop said Schiff’s amendment appeared to be advocating for “wokeism.”
While Bishop was reading the document, he asked Schiff what AAPI stood for.
“Candidly, I’m sure I should know what the acronym ‘AAPI’ is. I don’t know what that is,” he said. “I just don’t know the acronym because I don’t focus on that all the time.”
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Rep. Pramila…
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