John,
We’re living in scary times.
You’ve likely spent the last few weeks following the coronavirus pandemic, which has swiftly upended all of our lives. All of us at CREW are thinking of the healthcare, grocery, transit and other frontline workers who are working to respond to this crisis, frequently at significant personal risk.
As you’d expect, the coronavirus pandemic has touched CREW’s work—we’ve filed FOIAs about President Trump’s potential efforts just a few weeks ago to get the CDC to suppress information about the virus, and about reports of anti-Asian racism related to the virus. We have also called out President Trump’s use of a pandemic response press conference to feature a hat his campaign sells, explained how the president’s pattern of hijacking government functions for his political gain and surrounding himself with loyal cronies is particularly dangerous in this context, and pointed out a disturbing nine-month vacancy for the watchdog position that would oversee investigations at HHS, CDC and NIH. And last week, we filed a complaint about two senators possibly violating the STOCK Act, insider trading laws and ethics rules when they sold millions in stocks just days after receiving nonpublic briefings about coronavirus.
But during this crisis, we’re also doubling down on the watchdog work we’ve been doing since the start of—and long before—the Trump administration. It’s clear this administration’s corruption is not slowing down. In fact, from Trump considering a pardon for Michael Flynn, to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell apparently attempting to purge intelligence officers based on their perceived loyalty to the president, it seems the administration is hoping that a pandemic will allow them to get away with even more corruption while the public is focused on the global health crisis.
We’re not going to let that happen. Here at CREW, we’ll keep you informed about what the Trump administration is up to—whether they like it or not. Our mission remains as important as ever, and we’ll remain laser-focused on fighting for an accountable, ethical government. We’ve never needed it more than we do today.
Thank you, and sending best wishes for safety and health to you and your loved ones,
Noah Bookbinder
Executive Director, CREW
