Why Is this Distinguished Asian American the Target of a Smear Campaign?

By Monica Youn

Background: Last month, President Barack Obama nominated Harold Hongju Koh, Dean of Yale Law School, to serve as legal advisor to the State Department, a position that requires Senate confirmation. Since the nomination, Dean Koh has been targeted by right-wing commentators, including Meghan Clyne, in a New York Post op-ed titled “Obama’s Most Perilous Legal Pick” and Glenn Beck and Jay Sekulow, in a Fox News segment titled “Harold Koh’s Views: A Threat to Democracy?” This fact sheet brings you the true facts behind these unfounded smears.