On April 30, 2026, Maryland House of Delegates Mark Fisher and Brian Chisholm, both Republicans, posted a 13-minute video podcast, tilted “ChiCom of the Year Award,” accusing Democratic Delegate Chao Wu — a Chinese-born data scientist representing parts of Howard and Montgomery counties — of being a spy for the Chinese Communist Party, repeatedly using a derogatory slur, and mocking the way he speaks.

Wu, who holds a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland, served on the Howard County Board of Education before being elected to the House of Delegates in 2022. He responded with dignity: “I am a proud new American and a public servant. Unfounded accusations and extremist conspiracy theories will not distract me from the work that matters. Xenophobia, racism, and McCarthyism have no place in our state.”

The backlash was swift and bipartisan. House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk escalated the matter to the Ethics Committee to investigate. AAPI Caucus Chair Delegate Lily Qi said: “Xenophobia and bigotry have no place in the Maryland legislature. One can debate the merit of a bill without resorting to racist name-calling and unfounded accusations.”

House Minority Leader Del. Jason Buckel (R-Allegany) said he had “no reason to believe” that Wu was “somehow affiliated with the Chinese government as an American citizen and elected official,” adding: “There is no place for discrimination or prejudicial treatment toward Asian-Americans based on their ethnicity in our party and that’s not something our Caucus engages in or promotes in any way.”

Despite calls to apologize and remove the video, Fisher and Chisholm have refused to back down.

Both Fisher and Chisholm reference an August 2025 Washington Examiner article that alleges Wu served as the president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association during his time at the University of Maryland. A U.S. State Department report says China established the Chinese Students and Scholars Association to “monitor Chinese students and mobilize them against views that dissent from the CCP’s stance.”

Wu said he was a chair of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association for one year, during which he helped other Chinese graduate students find places to live and learn how to pay tuition and register for classes. “I have no regrets or anything,” Wu said. “I appreciated other people who helped me when I moved to find a place to live [and] pay tuition here.”

Fisher added that Wu worked as an electrical engineer at Maryland Aerospace, a defense contractor, insinuating that the only reason he worked there was to spy for Communist China.

Official bodies, legislative caucuses, elected leaders, and community organizations have strongly condemned the racially offensive video, including:

Legislative Caucuses: Asian and Pacific American Caucus, Black Caucus and LGBTQ+ Caucus
Federal Elected Officials: The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin
State Leadership: House Speaker Josephine Pena-Melnyk and House Minority Leader, Del. Jason Buckel (R-Allegany)
Local Government: the Montgomery County Council and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich
Community Organizations: Committee of 100, Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network, Organization of Chinese Americans (DC chapter)

5/15/26 NBC4: “Maryland delegates mock colleague’s accent, accuse him of spying for China”
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/maryland-delegates-colleague-accent-china/4105099/

5/12/26 Maryland Matters: “Lawmakers condemn ‘deeply offensive,’ ‘racist’ video targeting immigrant delegate”
https://marylandmatters.org/2026/05/12/lawmakers-condemn-deeply-offensive-racist-video-targeting-immigrant-delegate/

5/11/26 Maryland Daily Record: “Racist video of MD delegates sparks call for apology”
https://thedailyrecord.com/2026/05/11/pena-melnyk-calls-on-dels-fisher-chisholm-to-apologize-after-racist-remarks/

5/12/26 CBS News: “Maryland delegates face criticism over “hateful” podcast comments about delegate”
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-delegates-face-criticism-fisher-chisholm-hateful-podcast-comments-wu/

5/16/26 WBAL-TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd7ZXlGo7wA (2:45)