The President-Elect Must not Base Policy on Where He Wants to Build Hotels, Taiwan Edition [Letter T
Tell your representative to block Trump's cabinet appointees or use the Constitution's Emoluments Clause to ensure the President-Elect doesn't profit by putting the American economy or security at risk!
THE ISSUE: The President-Elect's real estate holdings are particularly problematic, because he knows their locations even if his company is handed to a blind trust. His actions re: Taiwan already suggest he'll place business over country in this regard
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Find out who your representative in congress is by entering your zip code here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/.
You can also find your senator here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Name=Capito&nState=WV
2. Copy and paste the letter below, personalizing it for your representative. Add a note of your own if you want!
3. Send a copy to your representative's local office. Send one to your senator, too!
4. Mailing a hard copy of your letter is the most effective way to to get your representatives' attention. Congressional staffers say letters that include a handwritten component or something written/illustrated by children receive more eyeballs than form letters or petitions. (But an email is (probably) better than nothing.)
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Representative [X]:
I, your constituent [from X district] am writing with concerns that President-Elect Trump’s business holdings present conflicts of interest that at best serve as a distraction from his duties as President, and at worst pose a risk to our nation’s economic function and national security.
Last week the President-Elect defied nearly three decades of peace-keeping "One China" policy to engage in a phone call with the president of Taiwan. This was not a call made with a deliberate policy shift for the good of our nation in mind; multiple reports have confirmed both that the call was planned for months, and that Mr. Trump has business interests in Taiwan, namely that his representatives have been seeking to build a hotel in Taipei since at least September of this year.
For the President-Elect to use his position of power as a tool to access and influence world leaders for his own personal profit is egregious and illegal, but to do so in a particularly diplomatically tense region with seemingly no regard for our national security quite literally puts the world at risk.
The President-Elect has already shown and acted upon the desire to use his position of power to further his business interests. Therefore, the checks and balances of the House and Senate are now paramount. Further, as Mr. Trump possesses intimate knowledge of his own properties (and properties-to-be), a trust run by his children, or even a “blind trust” would, at this stage, be effectively useless in ensuring his decisions are not swayed by his development holdings. Total divestment and the employment of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution are the only true safeguards we have against these conflicts.
As such, I’m asking that you do whatever it takes as our representative to prevent the corruption of America’s highest office, including placing holds on cabinet appointees until divestment is complete, enacting the Emoluments Clause to give Congress the power to vet decisions when necessary (or move for impeachment if the President refuses to act in accordance with the Constitution), and continuing to call for the release of the President-Elect’s tax information so the American people have a full understanding of what’s at stake.
I appreciate you taking my concerns into consideration and do hope that you will continue to make the integrity of the Constitution and the common good of the American people your top priorities.
Sincerely,