Just a few short years ago when Donald Trump won the White House and the GOP held a majority of congressional seats, a list of GOP congressmen called for dismantling the ethics committee, finding it unnecessary and a violation of free speech laws. Some of those same congressmen are now calling for an ethics investigation into a Democratic congressman’s tweets.
Seven Republican members of the House Freedom Caucus are calling on the House Ethics Committee to investigate Texas Democrat Joaquin Castro for publicly posting on Twitter the names and workplaces of constituents who donated to President Donald Trump. https://t.co/BzaYSeYAHS
— Chris Marquette (@ChrisMarquette_) August 9, 2019
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) tweeted out a list of Trump donors, some of whose businesses have seen a sharp drop in revenue and have incurred backlash from those opposed to Trump’s racist ideology. According to a letter filed by seven House Republicans, an ethics investigation is called for into Castro’s posting of the donor list.
‘Posting a target list of private citizens simply for supporting his political opponent is antithetical to our principles and serves to suppress the free speech and free association rights of Americans…These acts must immediately be investigated to determine if Rep. Castro has violated the ethical rules of this institution.’
1) Seven House Republicans ask Ethics Committee to look into Rep. Castro's posting of public info on Trump donors, actually claiming in their letter, "It doesn't matter that the information could be obtained from public sources…
— Billy House (@HouseInSession) August 9, 2019
The conservative House members include Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) and Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC). Not only did some of them, including Gaetz, call for dismantling the ethics committee, he and others on the list have called for more transparency in politics, but only for the Clintons and President Obama. When it’s Trump who’s forced into transparency, that’s apparently an ethics violation.
‘By publishing a list of private citizens who donated to his political opponent, Rep. Castro sought to encourage harassment against those citizens simply on the basis of their political beliefs. It cannot be fairly argued that Rep. Castro had any other purpose in posting that list and telling his activist followers that those individuals were inciting hate. Whether he intended to provoke physical violence or merely verbal harassment, his intent was to chill the free speech and free association rights of Americans.’
Joaquin and I will keep fighting. The American people will fight every day for our nation, against your hate, your corruption, and your ego. And we’ll win. #AdiósTrump https://t.co/nC0haWRydr pic.twitter.com/mMneHqXyT5
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 8, 2019
Although the list of donors is a matter of public record, the congressmen declared in the letter that this isn’t important. The fact that Castro made the donor list easy to find, somehow, is a violation. Meanwhile, the very real ethical violations of Trump aides, such as Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, go ignored.
‘On Monday evening, following that weekend’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Castro tweeted the names of 44 Texans who donated the maximum $2,700 to Trump, specifically calling out the owners of several prominent businesses in San Antonio, where the Castro brothers are from.
‘Federal candidates are required to disclose the names and employers of donors who contribute $200 or more in Federal Election Commission filings, which are publicly available online.’
House Republicans are calling for an ethics probe into @JoaquinCastrotx tweeting out the names/occupations of Trump's top San Antonio donors. Effort spearheaded by @RepAndyBiggsAZ
Letter: https://t.co/sLC3n0rDnp
Story from Wed: https://t.co/gJx5JLXfpb
— Ramsey Touchberry (@ramsberry1) August 9, 2019
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