False spy charges reflects defects of US democracy
The US Commission on Civil Rights recently issued a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch about targeting Chinese-American scientists for alleged spying and espionage. As an independent agency of the federal government, the commission cited the unjust cases of National Weather Service hydrologist Sherry Chen and Temple University professor Xi Xiaoxing, and expressed concerns that the government may be failing to exercise sufficient due diligence. It requested to find out whether racial elements had been excessively considered by federal investigators and agents. Earlier this month, several Asian-American lawmakers urged an investigation into whether race, ethnicity or national origin played a…