Biden's nominee for the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Casey Arrowood, previously prosecuted University of Tennessee professor Anming Hu over his failure to disclose his status as a professor at the Beijing University of Technology when receiving funds from NASA.
Federal law bars NASA from using federal funds on projects that directly collaborate with assets linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Hu was eventually acquitted after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
Arrowood previously worked in the Justice Department’s National Security Division during the Obama presidency where he received numerous awards. He previously served in the military, touring Afghanistan in 2003.
According to Senatorial aides, Hirono is stalling a vote in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to run the clock out on Arrowood's nomination, which will expire in two weeks at the end of this Congress. If a solution is not found, Biden would have to choose whether to renominate Arrowood or opt for a different candidate.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who supports Aroowood's nomination, told Fox News that it was a "shame" that Democrats are stonewalling Arrowood's confirmation for "prosecuting a potential CCP spy."
"Mr. Arrowood has put his life on the line to protect and defend our country," Blackburn said. "It is a shame that some Senate Democrats now want to disqualify him for prosecuting a potential CCP spy at UT."
"Communist China is the biggest threat facing our country, and Mr. Arrowood was correct in seeking to bring a person accused of spying to justice," she continued. "Protecting the United States against potential threats, foreign and domestic, should never be a crime or disqualify an individual for a Senate-confirmed position."
