Gregory Meeks is a United States Representative from New York and chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs who is among the delegates accompanying House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on her tour of four Asian countries, namely, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, according to the latter’s office.

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An East Harlem, New York native, the 68-year-old Democratic Party member spent his growing-up years in a government housing project. Later, he pursued an undergraduate course from Adelphi University followed by a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. The lawmaker, whose great-grandparents lived in South Carolina, became a member of the New York State Assembly in 1993. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, winning the mid-terms from New York’s sixth congressional district.

Political stance over the years

Meeks did not initially support Barrack Obama’s candidature for presidency, and instead sided with Hillary Clinton. He had also supported increasing the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.

On the day Kabul fell to the Talibans, Meeks released a statement in which he proclaimed, “It is abundantly clear that the Taliban’s advance was ultimately inevitable, at least without a commitment to surge tens of thousands of U.S. troops for an unknown span of time. That is a commitment the American public has made clear it does not support.”

Meeks has, however, always supported U.S. President Joe Biden‘s stance since the beginning of the latter’s presidency.

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Controversies

The veteran lawmaker has often found himself in the middle of controversies. In 2011, a non-profit organisation called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Meeks as one of the most corrupt Congress members. He had allegedly bought a home for far less money than what it was worth.

Meeks was also scrutinized for his use of tax dollars to lease a luxury Lexus car.