OC Supervisors Censure Colleague Under Federal Investigation

Supervisor Andrew Do was officially censured unanimously by his colleagues connected the Orange County Board of Supervisors connected Tuesday, marking the archetypal ceremonial enactment taken by the committee to penalize him aft his location was raided by the FBI past month. 

While censures don’t transportation immoderate ineligible power, they’re the strongest condemnation elected officials tin springiness to 1 another. 

Proposals for a censure person been up for treatment ever since region lawyers sued a nonprofit – Viet America Society – his girl helped run, alleging leaders determination took national pandemic alleviation funds and spent it connected things similar buying houses, including 1 for Do’s daughter. 

[Read: FBI Executes Searches connected OC Supervisor, His Daughter & Others successful Missing COVID Money Case]

Do utilized his office’s discretionary backing to nonstop wealth to the nonprofit to provender seniors – aft region unit raised concerns astir the nonprofit’s invoicing practices and ended the archetypal contract.

Do – who hasn’t been charged with a transgression – hasn’t shown up to a nationalist gathering since the raid, and has declined to remark connected the investigation. 

While Do has been facing calls to resign for weeks from chap supervisors, the Huntington Beach City Council and different elected officials, helium has retained his spot connected the board. 

[Read: Calls Grow For OC Supervisor Andrew Do to Resign After FBI Raids]

Supervisors Katrina Foley and Vicente Sarmiento repeated calls for Do to resign connected Tuesday, saying helium was nary longer qualified to stay connected the board. 

“His bureau appears to beryllium astatine the epicenter of the misuse of nationalist funds,” Sarmiento said. “Many person called for Supervisor Do to measurement down. We can’t unit him to measurement down, but we tin publically condemn the behaviour we spot swirling astir his office.”

“We cognize helium isn’t doing the enactment helium was elected to do,” helium continued. “We person to beryllium held to a higher ethical and motivation modular and not conscionable to a baseline ineligible standard.  

While Do has often faced questions implicit his behaviour for years, including whether oregon not helium lives successful his ain territory and whether helium improperly utilized region funds portion campaigning for office, this is the archetypal clip he’s faced a censure. 

[Read: Santana: OC Supervisor Andrew Do’s Political Journey That Ended successful FBI Raids]

“This criminally minded cognition dates backmost galore years,” Foley said astatine Tuesday’s meeting. “This censure is not lone warranted, it’s not acold capable fixed the stain Supervisor Do has near connected his legacy.” 

Supervisor Doug Chaffee (left), a Democrat, has drawn the ire of his ain enactment for often siding with his Republican colleagues similar Andrew Do (right), whom Chaffee has called his “mentor.” Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Supervisor Doug Chaffee was the lone supervisor to telephone for Do to instrumentality to the dais portion besides supporting the censure, calling the antheral helium erstwhile referred to arsenic his mentor “brilliant” and noting they could usage his assistance successful crafting caller regulations. 

“We indispensable not proceed by mode of governmental interference with investigations, that needs to beryllium done connected its own,” Chaffee said.

“I deliberation Supervisor Do, successful spite of the trouble helium would have, should truly beryllium present and usage immoderate power and endowment helium has, and helium does person immoderate talent, he’s a precise superb man, to springiness america proposal connected these different matters.”

Noah Biesiada is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @NBiesiada.

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