By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Mina Chang
A senior Trump administration official who was under consideration for a promotion resigned her post on Nov. 18— a week after an NBC News investigation accused her of embellishing her work history and educational achievements, and more.
Mina Chang, 35, the deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stability Operations, was recently found to have falsified aspects of her resume and to have gone to bizarre lengths to inflate her professional background. The Trump administration reportedly wanted to nominate Chang to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s work in Asia.
An NBC News story earlier this month revealed that Chang doesn’t have a degree from Harvard Business School, despite claiming to be an “alumna” in her official State Department biography.
She also never spoke at the 2016 Democratic or Republican national conventions, despite claiming to have done so, nor did she appear on the cover of Time Magazine, despite answering questions about having made such an appearance during a 2017 interview.
In her resignation letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chang wrote, “It is essential that my resignation be seen as a protest and not as surrender because I will not surrender my commitment to serve, my fidelity to the truth, or my love of country.”
Also, in her rebuttal document, Chang argued that her “background was fully investigated by the FBI and State Department’s Diplomatic Security. No questions were raised or concerns identified during the process.”
A Korean American, Chang earned a six-figure salary at the State Department—which has a $6 million budget. Had she received the new position as a senior position at USAID, she would have been in charge of a budget of roughly $1 billion.