John,
While the country is dealing with a pandemic, President Trump is gutting our democracy.
Late on Friday, President Trump fired the intelligence community inspector general who told Congress about the Ukraine whistleblower complaint. Make no mistake—doing this on a Friday night during a nationwide crisis is an attempt to sweep an unacceptable act under the rug.
For more about Trump’s attempts to attack our democracy and why we can’t ignore it, read my New York Times op-ed. You can also share on Facebook, Twitter, or by forwarding this email.
Trump also announced late Friday his intention to nominate White House lawyer Brian Miller as the IG for pandemic recovery. Miller recently played a role in the White House’s impeachment response, and has been praised for his “loyalty to the administration.” That is exactly the opposite of what we need in an IG who will oversee hundreds of millions in crucial spending. Installing a loyalist in that position could make it much easier for the $2 trillion stimulus to benefit Trump’s family or powerful industries without accountability.
That is just the tip of the iceberg. We can expect Trump to fire more IGs, and we’ve seen the president’s son-in-law play a growing role in the pandemic response, leading a shadow task force that may violate several laws. During times of crisis, democracies face their gravest threats. We cannot allow President Trump and his administration to get away with dismantling checks and balances, installing family members in positions of power, and ignoring transparency.
Even amid a pandemic, Congress and the American people must hold this administration accountable and safeguard our democracy.
Thank you,
Noah Bookbinder
Executive Director, CREW
