A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
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Friend,

Welcome to our weekly “Trumptastrophe” email series that serves to remind
us of the destructive policies, decisions, and actions we encountered
during the Trump presidency and the threats that he and others in the MAGA
movement still pose – and to keep those moments clear in our memory as we
fight to defeat Republican extremists during the upcoming elections.

This week’s Trumptastrophe brings into focus how Trump and his MAGA allies
intend to rid the federal government of anyone who stands in the way of
their extreme agenda, and how MAGA Republicans would purge people from
civil service much like Trump did to anyone who attempted to hold him
accountable during his term in office:

On April 3, 2020, Trump notified congressional leaders that he intended to
fire intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson. Atkinson
was “[ [link removed] ]the first to sound the alarm” in September 2019 about an urgent
whistleblower complaint from an intelligence official about Trump’s
efforts to pressure Ukraine’s president to launch an investigation of
Trump’s rival Joe Biden.

Trump’s firing of the institutional watchdog was apparent retaliation for
Atkinson’s actions setting in motion congressional investigations that led
to Trump’s first impeachment. From POLITICO’s [ [link removed] ]coverage at the time:

In an unusual rebuke of a president, Michael Horowitz, the chair of the
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, said in a
statement: “Inspector General Atkinson is known throughout the Inspector
General community for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to
the rule of law and independent oversight. That includes his actions in
handling the Ukraine whistleblower complaint, which the then Acting
Director of National Intelligence stated in congressional testimony was
done ‘by the book’ and consistent with the law.”

Trump had previously removed Acting Director of National Intelligence
Joseph Maguire “after his staff briefed members of Congress about Russian
interference in the 2020 campaign,” POLITICO reported, noting that Maguire
was replaced by Trump loyalist Richard Grenell.

Journalist Zach Beauchamp wrote at Vox that Trump’s firing of Atkinson was
evidence that “[ [link removed] ]Trump has declared war on the very idea of oversight,”
noting that Trump had also attacked inspectors general with responsibility
for oversight of the federal response to COVID-19:

The lesson from Tuesday is that Atkinson’s firing was not merely revenge
for impeachment. It was a warning that, during the coronavirus crisis,
Trump would not tolerate similarly vigorous oversight of his conduct.
Official watchdogs are on notice: Doing your job too effectively could
be career suicide.

Beauchamp identified the big-picture question that makes this episode so
relevant to the current threat of Trump’s potential return to power in
this year’s presidential election:

The president’s disdain for the concept of checks on his authority has
been [ [link removed] ]one of the most consistent throughlines of his presidency. But
after Trump’s acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial, the president
seems to have concluded that he could get away with even more brazen
efforts to bend the government to his will. …

It was only a matter of time before Trump’s eye turned toward inspectors
general, who are intrinsically opposed to Trump’s view of the government
as working for him. These offices exist to conduct oversight over the
department or institution they’re attached to — investigating illegality
and wrongdoing to bring it to the public and Congress’s attention. Their
sole reason for existing is to check the executive branch’s power and
make sure its vast authority isn’t abused. …

Trump’s war against inspectors general, whether they are directly
involved in watching his coronavirus response or otherwise, fits
squarely into the latter category. The president’s campaign to turn the
federal government into an instrument of his will, to make the
bureaucracy his employees rather than the public’s, is being pursued
while we’re busy being fearful in our homes.

This disdain for checks and balances, and the idea that Trump should have
virtually dictatorial power to impose his will on every corner of the
executive branch, is central to [ [link removed] ]Project 2025, the battle plan by the
Heritage Foundation and more than 100 right-wing and MAGA-movement groups
to “take the reins of government” if Trump returns to power.

Grounded in a once-fringe constitutional theory of the “unitary
executive,” Project 2025’s proponents openly declare their intention to
snuff out any pockets of independence from the president’s agenda.

The detailed action plan being promoted by Project 2025 leaders would
remove institutional safeguards against abuse of power, allowing a
vengeance-focused Trump to turn federal agencies into weapons against his
personal and political enemies, including the media.

It envisions a massive purge of professional civil service employees and
their replacement with Trump loyalists who would be committed to gutting
federal agencies from within and advancing the deregulatory agenda of the
Koch dark-money networks and anti-government hardliners.

We know from Trump’s first term, and his illegal efforts to stay in office
after losing, that he has no interest in playing by the rules or being
held accountable for breaking them. He and his allies have demonstrated
contempt for the institutionalists in the White House and Justice
Department staff who refused to go along with Trump’s efforts to steal the
election.

Trump and his political operatives have made it clear that if he returns
to power, they won’t make the “mistake” of hiring people more loyal to the
Constitution than to Trump or the MAGA movement. The Heritage Foundation
has been recruiting right-wing ideological warriors on Steve Bannon’s War
Room show and at places like the Conservative Political Action Conference.
They hope to have 20,000 pre-approved loyalists ready to flood federal
agencies and carry out Trump’s marching orders, whatever they may be. They
are in effect [ [link removed] ]paving a fast road to fascism. We have just months to
stop them.

These are just some of the reasons we need YOU in this
fight. So, find your
favorite way to unwind after reading through this week’s recap, and then
make a plan for how you will fight back this week, this month, this
election cycle.

For members who are interested in sharing the weekly Trumptastrophe
series, [ [link removed] ]you can find all previous editions on our website! This post
will be published by Thursday so you can share with your friends and
family and remind them of the importance of ensuring that Trump is
defeated again this November.

[ [link removed] ]If you’d like to opt-out of this series but still continue receiving
our other email content, you can do so here >>

Thanks for all that you do to defeat Republican extremism.

– People For the American Way

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