Posted on 10/23/2006 5:50:15 AM PDT by radar101
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) -- A Republican congressional candidate whose campaign is being investigated for sending intimidating letters to Hispanic voters lashed out at his Democratic rival, saying she was fueling the uproar over the mailings.
Tan Nguyen on Sunday rejected calls to drop out of the race to unseat longtime Rep. Loretta Sanchez, and implied the popular congresswoman was behind the probes into the letters warning immigrants they could be deported or jailed for voting in next month's election.
"There has been no crime committed so why is there a criminal investigation three weeks prior to a very important election?" Nguyen asked. "What is going on? Who is fueling this investigation?"
Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant who has made illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, said he would stay in the race despite calls from the state GOP and others to quit.
"I'm innocent," Nguyen said. "I'm not going to quit this race; I'm going to win this race."
Nguyen said Sunday he did not authorize or approve the letters, which warn in Spanish: "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time."
In reality, immigrants who have become naturalized U.S. citizens are eligible to vote.
California Department of Justice investigators searched Nguyen's campaign headquarters on Friday, as well as his residence and a home listed as belonging to one of his staffers. Investigators are looking into possible voting rights violations. Nguyen also said he regretted firing his office manager who sent the mailings and publicly invited her to return.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
How it should of read. Somebody went to far.
Garden Grove is mostly Vietnamese and Korean. He may actually have improved his situation by producing that document. I have not lived there in a couple of years so the demographics may have changed.
Just legal citizens doing the job that others in the state won't do. Maybe the illegals should start running for state offices, then you would hear the screams from Sacramento.
the only problem is he ran as a RAT two yrs ago..
I also read somewhere that the letters weren't even "sent out." Somebody in the media got a hold of the letters before they were carefully proofread and tried to make a huge issue of it.
Nguyen is an "immigrant"himself. Why would he be against legal immigrants voting?
As I recall, Sanchez beat Bob Dornan through use of illegal alien voters.
ping
In reality, when one is naturalized as a citizen, one looses immigrant status. The letter is correct in its statement.
Go TAN
TAN NGUYEN WAS BORN IN DANANG, VIETNAM IN 1973. When Tan was eight, his family fled their homeland, escaping the communist regime, on a small boat. Tan's father had been imprisoned after a first failed attempt, but was determined to free his family from the oppressive government. Tan still has vivid recollections of that long, dangerous journey, a pivotal influence in Tan's development and drive.
Settling in California, the family worked hard to achieve a better life. As the eldest of five children, Tan learned from his parents to be responsible and caring for his sisters and brothers, and the value of hard work. Tan labored, along with his mother and father, as farm workers as they began their new life in the U.S.A.
Tan worked his way through college, first at U.C.L.A then graduating from the University of Minnesota with a Baccalaureate degree that emphasized Business-Economics, Biochemistry and Asian Studies.
After graduation, Tan married Hanh Lam and together they settled in Southern California. Tan worked as an Investment Advisor for American Express and then A.G. Edwards where he enjoyed helping clients achieve their financial goals. Currently, Tan is working as an Independent Investment Advisor, specializing in asset management.
In 2004, Tan decided to run for Congress. Tan went up against a political heavyweight, who was the Regional Vice Chair for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. While critics predicted that Tan would only get 1% to 2% of the votes, he received 33%. The result was viewed as a Herculean effort and a success, given the fact that the Democratic Party backed his opponent heavily.
Tan believes that in AMERICA, Nothing is Impossible.
Tan's message is simple and is populist in nature:
"…A congressman must represent the people of his district and must bring THEIR views to Washington, not the other way around."
Thus, Tan's stance on the issues of the day such as Immigration (against illegal immigration), the Budget (the deficit must be eliminated), and pharmaceuticals for the elderly (medicines should be permitted to be re-imported from Canada), may fly in the face of the powers that be, but will always be close to how people actually feel.
Tan will represent all the people in our district with the same care and diligence that he has applied to his life. Tan has the energy and the enthusiasm to make a difference.
ping
Ha! Sanchez should talk about sending out mailings that are full of lies. In her race against Bob Dornan, her campaign sent out a postcard to voters all over the state which had a photo of an enormous Austrian palace and the postcard claimed that it was Dornan's home!
Not necessarily. Most legal immigrants are not citizens.
umm.. interesting.. I could not vote for this guy, cause he is running in my district.. Royce is my congresscritter!!
Huh?
I live in Orange county ca, Tan is running aganist Sanchez.
Why is switching from the Democrat to Republican party a "problem"? Reagan did it - and that didn't make him any less a Republican. Sanchez switched from Republican to Democrat; are you telling me she's a "counterfeit" Democrat because she once ran for office as a Republican? I dont' think so - she votes as liberal as any of them.
Still the same, and I'd vote for him in a HEART beat!!!
If I was in early Rome, I would have gone to see the Christians being eaten."
-- Frank Barbaro, chairman of the OC Democratic Party, when asked why he joined the crowd watching Tan Nguyen's campaign office being raided by officials today.
B T T T
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