The Massachusetts Senator sent the President-elect a lengthy letter on Nov. 15, blasting his transition team picks, as well as his selection of Stephen Bannon as chief strategist.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is really disappointed in Donald Trump for picking lobbyists to run his transition (the very same kind of people he ran against) and choosing Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist. Because he has done so, Elizabeth feels Donald has broken his promise to the American people. In her eyes, he’s already “failing” at his job, and we haven’t even gotten to the inauguration yet!
Elizabeth, who has been very vocal about Trump’s 2016 White House run, wrote the President-elect a lengthy letter, telling him exactly how she feels.
Read Elizabeth’s letter to Donald below:
Dear President-Elect Trump,
During your campaign for President of the United States, you railed against “powerful special interests” that have “rigged our political and economic system for their exclusive benefit.” You excoriated trade deals that you described as “mortal threat[s] to American manufacturing” and “disaster[s] …. pushed by special interests. ” You promised that you would “not be controlled by the donors, special interests and lobbyists who have corrupted our politics and politicians for far too long,” and that you would “drain the swamp” in Washington D.C. And you won election largely on the strength of these promises.
The American people are watching to see if you were sincere in your campaign promises to look out for the interests of working families, rather than the interests of the rich and powerful. Now it is time to live up to those promises. Unfortunately, you already appear to be failing. Within days of your election, you have elevated a slew of Wall Street bankers, industry insiders, and special interest lobbyists to your transition team. Even more are rumored to be named as potential cabinet members.
Based on public reports, your transition team and your potential cabinet include over twenty Wall Street elites, industry insiders, and lobbyists making decisions that could have huge implications for their clients or employers. They include, among many others, a former Goldman Sachs executive who is rumored to be a Treasury Secretary pick; a paid consultant for Verizon who is making key decisions on your administration’s Federal Communication Commission; a “top lobbyist” whose firm lobbied on behalf of issues related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership who is shaping your Labor Department; and a climate-change denying, oil industry-paid think tank fellow who is leading your environmental team’s transition.
If you truly stand by your commitment to making government work for all Americans – not just those with armies of lobbyists on payroll – you must remove the lobbyists and financial bigwigs from your transition team and reinstate a group of advisors who will fight for the interests of all Americans.
Maintaining a transition team of Washington insiders sends a clear signal to all who are watching you – that you are already breaking your campaign promises to “drain the swamp” and that you are selling out the American public.
… You made numerous promises to the American people in your election campaign, none bigger than the promise to “drain the swamp” of Washington D.C. special interests rigged against the middle class. The decisions you make with your transition team will shape the next four years of this nation. They will also reflect the strength of your character and your ability to truly lead – not just follow the marching orders of the special interests and Wall Street bankers you purportedly oppose.
Earlier this week, in a television interview, you were asked about the large number of lobbyists and insiders on your transition team. You responded that “everybody’s a lobbyist” in Washington D.C. I can assure you that this is not the case. Many Americans – inside and outside Washington D.C. – have the expertise to serve the American public without being bought and paid for by special interests. Claiming otherwise does not absolve you of your responsibility to stick to your promise to “clean up the system.”
It is no secret that we fundamentally disagree on a number of issues of critical importance to the future of this nation – issues that I will never stop fighting for and will never compromise on. But members of my party – just like members of yours – are fed up: seventy-two percent of voters – both Democrats and Republicans – believe that “the American economy is rigged to the advantage of the rich and the powerful. “40 Americans are angry about a federal government that works for the rich and powerful and that leaves everyone else in the dirt. As I said last week, when your goal is to increase the economic security of middle class families, then count me in – I will put aside our differences and I will work with you to accomplish that goal.
The early reports of who is on your transition team indicate that, despite your campaign promises, you are looking to industry insiders, lobbyists and other special interests to shape Washington D.C. under your administration. If you truly want to make Washington, D.C. work for the American people, you have the opportunity – indeed, you have the responsibility – to remove the lobbyists and financial bigwigs from your transition team and reinstate a group of advisors who will fight for the interests of all Americans.
Let me be clear. Should you refuse, I will oppose you, every step of the way, for the next four years. I will champion the millions of Americans you will fail to protect. I will track your every move, and I will remind Americans, every day, of the actions you take that fail them. And I will not be the only one watching. The millions of Americans who voted for you – and the millions who didn’t – will all be watching you.
Should you have any questions about the types of advisors you could choose who would more adequately represent the needs of the American people, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. I would be more than happy to provide you with a list of qualified advisers and potential nominees.
How do YOU feel about Elizabeth’s letter to Donald Trump?
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