After four years of “cruelty, recklessness, and cronyism” from the outgoing administration and about a month until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, Public Citizen on Tuesday launched a web tool to track some of President Donald Trump’s “most corrupt, norm-breaking, dangerous, and unjust actions during the lame duck session.”
The tool comes after the Electoral College made Biden’s win official on Monday, following weeks of frivolous lawsuits and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud from Trump and his political allies—including 126 Republicans in Congress and 18 GOP attorneys general. Trump continued to tweet lies about the election on Tuesday.
“As Trump rages and his lackeys rush to confer benefits on cronies, take revenge on political enemies, undermine democratic legitimacy and impose cruelty for cruelty’s sake, the lame duck period is a particularly dangerous time for America,” Public Citizen president Robert Weissman said in a statement. “The Trump Lame Duck Temper Tantrum webpage will help journalists and all Americans track the final, vindictive actions of this hateful administration.”
Trump is quietly sabotaging key regulations. He’s:
-Expanding federal execution methods
-Dismantling the migrant asylum system
-Facilitating predatory debt collection
-Removing protected status for the gray wolf
-Approving coal ash in the environment
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) December 15, 2020
The webpage features sections on regulation rollbacks, “dirty dealing,” pardons, executive orders, sabotaging the transition, “climate assault,” cruelty, and recklessness.
“We’re barely scratching the surface,” said the group, introducing the tool. “From attempting to steal the election to gutting critical regulations to protect the public interest, Trump continues to put himself, corporations, and his cronies over the rest of us—and our democracy.”
In terms of deregulation, as Public Citizen details, the Trump administration has removed protected status for gray wolves, approved coal ash in the environment, allowed air polluters to avoid oversight, and provided a faith-based right to discriminate, among other policies. The “dirty dealing” section notes that Trump has also raised over $207 million since Election Day while promoting baseless election fraud allegations.
Trump’s pardons have been shamelessly self-serving.
He’s considering whether to pardon his children, Giuliani, and even himself.
For Trump, this isn’t about righting injustices — it’s plainly about obstructing justice. https://t.co/9lG01bsBtx
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) December 15, 2020
“Trump has refused to concede the election, and has done everything he can to hobble the incoming Biden administration,” the webpage points out. “Presidential transitions require a high degree of coordination and cooperation—especially in times of crisis. The Trump administration’s attempt to sabotage the Biden administration is bad for democracy, our health and safety, and our security.”
As one critic said of the transition process last month in response to reporting on Trump strategy, “The arsonist in chief, who spent the past four years being as reckless as humanly possible, is lighting a whole bunch more fires with the GOAL of them being impossible to put out.”
Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic is raging on—by Wednesday afternoon, there were nearly 16.6 million documented Covid-19 cases and over 302,000 deaths. In addition to the public health crisis and resulting economic mess, Biden is also facing pressure to urgently address demands for racial justice, pursue bold climate action, and end seemingly endless U.S. wars.
Trump is quietly ramping up his handouts to the oil & gas industry. He:
-Locked in oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
-Put a climate change denier in charge of a key climate report
-Rejected standards on soot, our most widespread deadly air pollutant
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) December 15, 2020
On his way out the door, “Trump’s administration is accelerating its cruelty, ramping up actions that harm vulnerable people, adding to the challenges of many who are already suffering,” according to Public Citizen. “He’s speeding up federal executions, cementing his devastating legacy on immigration, making it harder to qualify for Medicaid, and much, much more.”
“Reckless could be Trump’s middle name,” the group adds. “Whether it’s privatizing critical resources for veterans, providing giveaways to weapons manufacturers that reward countries with human rights abuses, stripping away protections for migratory birds, or ignoring CDC guidance by throwing Covid holiday parties, the Trump administration is flouting common-sense rules and giving last-minute presents to corporations.”
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
