August 30, 2004 12:32 AM
Eric L Motley
"Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel"
The White House
Dear Eric:
Absent your response, we would like to continue to advise that the link between the Commission and the "BushCheney '04" in this instant case be delinked as the Commisssion is for AAPIs and the Bush'04 for reelection.
A prudent thing to consider doing in this context would, therefore, be to let those members of the Commission who concurrently wear the "BushCheney '04" hats resign from the Commission. Commingling prima facie the stated official government activities with the partisan campaign activites would risk raising government ethics questions if not culpability.
Would you ask those discombobulated to relinquish themselves from the Commission?
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
CAMC
www.camcinc.org
C.: Edmund C Moy, Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Presidential Personnel, The White House
BC: CAMC Board, CAMC Website (www.camcinc.org), Constituents
August 12, 2004 9:03 AM
August 5, 2004 1:36 AM
Eric L Motley
"Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel"
The White House
Dear Eric:
According to the Hatch Act regulations, the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (the Commission) is not a partisan entity. We, then, ask you to answer:
Q2. Among the individuals to serve on the Commission who were appointed by the President, how many of them are not affiliated with the Republican Party?
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
CAMC
C.: Edmund C Moy, Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Presidential Personnel, The White House
BC: CAMC Board, CAMC Website (www.camcinc.org), Constituents
July 5, 2004 8:55 AM
July 1, 2004 10:47 AM
Eric L Motley
"Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel"
The White House
Dear Eric:
Would you inform us regarding the present status of the matter that we brought to your attention including how you actually addressed our concerns "accordingly"?
In the same vein, we ask you to answer
Q 1. Is it lawful for President/the White House to use federal resources for President's re-election effort?
It is also strange that something like this allowed to happen. Would you like it to be looked into as to what/who were involved in the process?
Serving President is no one's monopoly. Let's do things right! President deserves the best!!
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
CAMC
ICAS
C.: Edmund C Moy, Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Presidential Personnel, The White House
BC: CAMC Board, Constituents
June 25, 2004 8:58 AM
Dear Eric:
Would you keep us posted with status update of the matter?
It is also strange that something like this allowed to happen. Would you like it to be looked into as to what/who were involved in the process?
Serving President is no one's monopoly.
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
CAMC
ICAS
BC: CAMC Board, Constituents
June 18, 2004 4:07 PM
Dear Eric:
Thank you for your note.
Rest assured that we will closely monitor the matter and we expect you be good enough to keep us posted with update on the matter.
It is also strange that something like this allowed to happen. Would you like it to be looked into as to what/who were involved in the process?
Serving President is no one's monopoly.
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
CAMC
ICAS
6/9/04 4:34 PM
Fitzgerald, Heather R. wrote:
Dear Mr. Kim:
Thank you for your email. I appreciate your concern and your interest in this matter and I feel that I adequately explained and discussed these concerns with you during our telephone conversation yesterday. You explained your concerns thoroughly and as I expressed to you we will strongly consider your suggestions. Please consider your concerns understood and appreciated. We will address them accordingly.
Again, thank you for your concern and for your continuous support of the President.
Sincerely,
Eric L. Motley
-----Original Message-----
From: ICAS [mailto:ICAS@icasinc.org]
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 4:16 PM
To: Fitzgerald, Heather R.
Cc: Moy, Edmund C.
Subject: "President George W. Bush announced today, May 27 2004, his intent to appoint fourteen individuals to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders"
June 9, 2004 4:15 PM
Dear Eric:
Thank you for your telephone call yesterday morning.
A heart of the matter is whether it is an acceptable practice for President to appoint a person to the Commission who has already been charged* with President's campaign team as "Pennsylvania State Chair for Asian Americans- Bush'04".
Or,
Q 1. Is it lawful for President/the White House to use federal resources for President's re-election effort?
President can work with thirteen individuals or any number of persons for that matter to serve on the Commission on AAPIs. In this vein, "delink" means either/or, not both.
Hence, we will continue to advise and ask you and President to delink the Commission from the "BushCheney '04" at your and his earliest convenience.
Serving President is a tough job but let's do things right! President deserves the best!!
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
CAMC
ICAS
June 8, 2004 12:06 PM
June 2, 2004 9:48 AM
June 1, 2004 5:14 PM
Eric Motley
The White House
Dear Eric:
Ed Moy apparently referred to you our note vide infra. We would like to receive your prompt response. Thank you.
Regards,
Sang Joo Kim
ICAS
CAMC
C.: Edmund C Moy
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: "President George W. Bush announced today, May 27 2004, his intent to appoint fourteen individuals to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders".
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 13:44:48 -0400
From: "Moy, Edmund C."
To: "ICAS" ICAS@icasinc.org
because i am not responsible for the appointments to part time boards and commissions, i have referred your concern to my colleague who is responsible. thanks for bringing this to my attention.
-----Original Message-----
From: ICAS [mailto:ICAS@icasinc.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 1:35 PM
To: Moy, Edmund C.
Subject: "President George W. Bush announced today, May 27 2004, his intent to appoint fourteen individuals to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders".
June 1, 2004
Edmund C Moy
Special Assistant to the President and
Associate Director for Presidential Personnel
The White House
Dear Ed:
The subject announcement has come to our attention. We applaud your effort of making a special assistance to the President. Congratulations!
A purpose of this note is to ask you if it is an acceptable practice for President to appoint a person to the Commission who has already been charged* with President's campaign team as "Pennsylvania State Chair for Asian Americans- Bush'04".
* although no one seems to know by and through what selection process the person became the Chair, what the person's qualifications are to serve as the Chair, what political credentials the person possesses to serve as the Chair let alone no appointment letter per se made public to the constitutents.
As you know "the Commission was established by Executive Order 13339 to advise the President ... and thus improving the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs)" of all stripes and the "BushCheney'04" is designed "to ensure his successful reelection".
Should you and President subscribe to the notion that grassroots efforts will be important and vital to his success, we advise both you and President to delink between the Commission and the "BushCheney '04" in this instant case as the Commisssion is for AAPIs and the Bush'04 for reelection.
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo Kim
ICAS
August 31, 2004 11:52 PM
Reginald J. Brown
Associate Counsel to the President
The White House
Dear Regi:
Greetings!
You just might like to know that the RNC issued on July 26, 2004 a public statement as quoted below:
President Bush has taken decisive action to improve the lives of Asian Pacific Americans. On May 13, 2004 the President signed an Executive Order aimed at increasing economic opportunity and business participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. As a result of this unprecedented commitment, Asian Pacific American leaders across the nation are voicing their support for President Bush. (emphasis added)
Senior Advisor Karl Rove met with members of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders after the swearing-in ceremony in the Roosevelt Room at the White House July 20, 2004. Photo by Tina Hager.
[Photo deleted]
Standing, from left to right: John C. Kim, Kenneth Wong, Jeffrey B. Sakaguchi, William P. Afeaki, Rudy Pamintuan, Karl Rove, Akshay Desai, Joseph Melookaran, William Kil, Jimmy Lee, Derrick Nguyen, Seated from left to right: Martha Cruz Ruth, Nina Nguyen Collier, Betty Wu, Vellie Sandalo Dietrich-Hall
Sincerely,
Andrew Olson
Asian American Grassroots Development
Republican National Committee
Q1: Was the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (the Commission) engaging in a partisan political activity or performing an official government duty in this instant case judging from the statement and the photo?
Q2: What is the RNC's relationship with the Commission?
Q3: What is a role the RNC plays with respect to the Commission's work?
Thank you and regards,
Sang Joo
Sang Joo Kim
Chairman
CAMC
www.camcinc.org
C: Eric L Motley, Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House
Edmund C Moy, Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House
BC: CAMC Board, CAMC Website (www.camcinc.org), Constituents
July 17, 2004 10:19 AM
Reginald J. Brown
Associate Counsel to the President
The White House
Dear Regi:
Thank you for your writing.
The Hatch Act (i.e., 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326, 5 U.S.C. § 7323(a)(1)-(4), 5 U.S.C. § 7324) we read addresses to the effect that covered employees including federal executive branch employees are prohibited from: using their official authority or influence for the purpose of affecting the result of an election; knowingly soliciting, accepting or receiving political contributions from any person; being candidates for public office in partisan elections; and knowingly soliciting or discouraging the political activity of any individual with business before their agency. The Hatch Act also prohibits covered employees at the White House from engaging in political activities.
Since that the Hatch Act regulations define partisan political group as any committee, club, or other organization which is affiliated with a political party or candidate for public office in a partisan election, or organized for a partisan purpose, or which engages in partisan political activity and that the President’s Advisory Commission (the Commission) on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is a governmental entity established, according to EO 13339, to provide equal economic opportunities for full participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders businesses in our free market economy, the Commission is, therefore, not a partisan entity for the purposes of the Hatch Act
.
Since that "Pennsylvania State Chair for Asian Americans - Bush '04" is explicitly and specifically designed and charged to engage in political activities including but are not limited to influencing for the purpose of affecting the result of an election and knowingly soliciting and receiving political contributions using its official authority and that a member of the Commission is a covered employee prohibited from engaging in prohibited activities, vide supra, discharging duties and responsibilities as a member of the President's Advisory Commission for a non-partisan entity and conducting a partisan election campaign on behalf of the President as Pennsylvania State Chair for Asian Americans - Bush '04 are, we view, constitutively and mutually exclusive to each other.
Isn't Presidential appointment (i.e., Executive Order) a continuum?
What are the established provisions to deal with when a member of the Presidential Commission engages in political activity while performing official duties associated with the Presidential Commission and uses his or her official title and influence in connection with political activites on behalf of the President?
Thank you for sharing your views with us and all the best!
Regards,
Sang Joo Kim
Chairman
CAMC
C: Eric L Motley, Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House
Edmund C Moy, Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House
BC: CAMC Board, CAMC Website (www.camcinc.org), Constituents
7/6/04 12:16 PM
Brown, Reginald J. wrote:
Dear Mr. Sang Joo Kim:
Mr. Eric Motley has forwarded your correspondence to me for a response. Under the Hatch Act, it is not illegal for an individual to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders while also serving as an unpaid advisor to a presidential campaign, so long as the individual does not engage in political activity while performing official duties associated with the Commission and does not use his or her official title in connection with political activities.
I hope this addresses your concern. Thank you for writing and best wishes.
Sincerely,
Reginald J. Brown
Associate Counsel to the President
September 13, 2004
Betty B Wu
Chairwoman
President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Washington, D C
Dear Betty:
Absence, to date, of your response to my earlier queries, i.e., the Commission's public forum schedule and the budget, of July 26, 2004 -see below- prompts to convey you to the following aviso:
1. Building the Commission's credibility
2. Earning constituent's trust
3. Practicing accountability
4. Focusing on improvement
Since President has spoken to "providing equal economic opportunities for full participation of Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses in our free market economy where they may be underserved and thus improving the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders" and established the Commission, it is incumbent on you and your office to disclose the Commission's budget and schedule as a matter of public record.
Your ability and commitment to heed those will benefit your office and support the stated goal of the Commission. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Julia K Han / signed
CAMC Secretary-General
www.camcinc.org
C.: CAMC Board, CAMC website
Register to Vote! Vote to Voice! Voice and Empower!
Public Education Builds A Stronger Community
The Korean-/Asian-American Community Is An Integral Part of America
July 26, 2004
Dear Betty,
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of Council for America My Country (CAMC). It is CAMC's belief that involvement in the process is a key factor in strengthening our community and the community at large.
My hope is that the Commission will be able to make an impact in the AAPI community. Would you please inform us of the current public forum schedule and the budget of the Commission?
Both CAMC and myself are committed to public service and education.
Thank you again for the opportunity to participate. I look forward to working with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Julia K. Han
Secretary-General
CAMC
October 28, 2004
Betty B Wu
Chairwoman
President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Washington, D C
Dear Betty:
According to Eddy R Badrina, the Commission's budget for FY05 is to be $500,000.
With this money, how would you implement President's stated objective for having established the Commission; namely, "providing equal economic opportunities for full participation of Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses in our free market economy where they may be underserved and thus improving the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders"?
It is important that we hear from you on this. We thank you for your prompt attention. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Julia K Han / signed
CAMC Secretary-General
www.camcinc.org
C.: CAMC Board, CAMC website
Register to Vote! Vote to Voice! Voice and Empower!
"To Empower to Practice Good Citizenship"
Register to Vote! Vote to Voice! Voice and Empower!
Public Education Builds A Stronger Community.
Asian/Korean-American Community Is An Integral Part of America.
Council for America My Country (CAMC) is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan, civic and
educational organization. It promotes ways to enhance good citizenship and its
practice. It is solely supported by voluntary contributions. CAMC strives to provide
public service pro bono publico. All staff members are non-paid volunteers.