OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Letter to Donald J. Trump, President-Elect of the United States - Regarding the Appointment of Steve Bannon

Letter

By: Bob Brady, Lois Frankel, Ruben Gallego, Karen Bass, John Conyers, Jr., Mike Capuano, Cheri Bustos, Debbie Dingell, Joyce Beatty, Suzanne Bonamici, Diana DeGette, Yvette Clarke, Joaquin Castro, Brendan Boyle, Eliot Engel, Jim Cooper, Ami Bera, Donna Edwards, Tony Cárdenas, Peter DeFazio, John Delaney, David Cicilline, Emanuel Cleaver II, Jim Clyburn, Joe Crowley, Madeleine Bordallo, Mark DeSaulnier, Katherine Clark, Gerry Connolly, Keith Ellison, Lloyd Doggett II, Kathy Castor, Julia Brownley, Elijah Cummings, Steve Cohen, Sam Farr, Anna Eshoo, Judy Chu, Pete Aguilar, Ted Deutch, Matt Cartwright, Danny Davis, Marcia Fudge, Al Green, John Garamendi, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Mike Doyle, Jr., Susan Davis, Lacy Clay, Jr., André Carson, Joe Courtney, Don Beyer, Jr., Elizabeth Esty, Tammy Duckworth, Earl Blumenauer, John Carney, Jr., Sanford Bishop, Jr., Gwen Graham, Suzan DelBene, Alma Adams, Xavier Becerra, Dwight Evans, Bill Foster, Rosa DeLauro, Janice Hahn, Rick Larsen, Nita Lowey, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rubén Hinojosa, Sr., Jared Huffman, Gene Green, Jim Himes, Ron Kind, Bill Keating, Robin Kelly, Brian Higgins, Dave Loebsack, Barbara Lee, Dan Kildee, John Larson, Colleen Hanabusa, Zoe Lofgren, Sandy Levin, Steve Israel, Raul Grijalva, Annie Kuster, Luis Gutiérrez, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Denny Heck, Sheila Jackson Lee, Derek Kilmer, Alan Lowenthal, Joe Kennedy III, John Lewis, Hank Johnson, Jr., Jim Langevin, Mike Honda, Ted Lieu, Marcy Kaptur, Brenda Lawrence, Hakeem Jeffries, Eddie Johnson, Jim McGovern, Jan Schakowsky, Chellie Pingree, Scott Peters, Louise Slaughter, Gregory Meeks, Carolyn Maloney, Mark Pocan, José Serrano, Jerry Nadler, Kurt Schrader, Jackie Speier, Kathleen Rice, Jared Polis, John Sarbanes, Albio Sires, Sean Maloney, Adam Smith, Bennie Thompson, Cedric Richmond, Stephen Lynch, Doris Matsui, David Price, Beto O'Rourke, Tim Ryan, Grace Napolitano, Eric Swalwell, Grace Meng, Mike Quigley, Donald Norcross, Mark Takano, Richard Neal, Patrick Murphy, Ed Perlmutter, Rick Nolan, Adam Schiff, Betty McCollum, Jim McDermott, Jerry McNerney, Ben Luján, Jr., Terri Sewell, Seth Moulton, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Raul Ruiz, Eleanor Norton, Linda Sánchez, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Gwen Moore, Frank Pallone, Jr., Don Payne, Jr., Bobby Scott, Dina Titus, Nydia Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Tim Walz, Mike Thompson, Niki Tsongas, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Norma Torres, Marc Veasey, Frederica Wilson, Juan Vargas, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Maxine Waters, Paul Tonko, Peter Welch, John Yarmuth
Date: Nov. 16, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Executive Branch

Dear President-elect Trump:

Immediately following your victory, many Americans were optimistic and hopeful that you would take the steps necessary to unify our country following the divisive and contentious election. In your election night speech you said, "Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division. It is time for us to come together as one united people." Unfortunately, your appointment of Stephen Bannon, whose ties to the White Nationalist movement have been well-documented, directly undermines your ability to unite the country. As elected representatives of millions of Americans from diverse backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities, we strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to appoint Mr. Bannon to White House Chief Strategist.

Since the election there have been a number of incidents across the country in which minorities, including Muslim Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Jewish Americans, have been the targets of violence, harassment and intimidation. Mr. Bannon's appointment sends the wrong message to people who have engaged in those types of activities, indicating that they will not only be tolerated, but endorsed by your Administration. Millions of Americans have expressed fear and concern about how they will be treated by the Trump Administration and your appointment of Mr. Bannon only exacerbates and validates their concerns.

As the Executive Chairman of Breitbart News, Mr. Bannon repeatedly and aggressively pushed stories that promote anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and racism. During an interview last summer, Mr. Bannon bragged that Breitbart was "the platform for the alt-right," a movement that upholds White Nationalism while strongly rejecting diversity in any form. Under Mr. Bannon's leadership, Breitbart has referred to a leading Republican who opposed your election as a "Renegade Jew," suggested "Young Muslims in the West are a ticking time bomb," declared that the "Confederate flag proclaims a glorious heritage," and praised the alt-right as a "smarter" version of "old-school racist skinheads."

Disturbingly, leading white nationalists like former KKK Grand Dragon David Duke, American Nazi Party Chairman Rocky J. Suhadya, Richard Spencer, Peter Brimelow, and Brad Griffin have praised the news of Mr. Bannon's appointment. We believe it should concern you that civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, are widely opposed to Mr. Bannon's appointment.

We strongly believe that Mr. Bannon's appointment will not allow the country to heal and come together as one. As one of your top advisors, the White House chief strategist will help set the tone for your administration. The person in this role must be prepared to serve the interests of all Americans, not those of a select few.

Once again, we strongly urge you to rescind this appointment immediately and build a diverse White House staff who are committed to the core American values of inclusiveness, diversity and tolerance.


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