Several federal agencies were put under a gag order, prohibiting employees from communicating with the press or giving out any information to the public about what was happening at the agency. The Department of Agriculture was told to stop publishing scientific research. The EPA was ordered to purge any references to climate change from its website. Badlands National Park tweeted, then deleted, climate facts hours after news broke of a gag order on the EPA.
If we are supposedly putting the government back into the hands of the people, why is this administration prohibiting federal agencies from even talking to the public about what they're doing? Why is Trump making it harder for the media to report on the actions of the federal government?
The answer is that, as we know, Donald Trump only says what suits his purpose at the moment. He's not giving the government back to the people -- he's holding it hostage to the whims of his own fact-free reality. And it’s looking as if Republicans in Congress aren't going to hold him accountable.
Steve Bannon, chief White House strategist, claimed that the media is "the opposition party" of the new administration. In other words, he wants a totalitarian state. Journalists need to know that the information presented in press briefings is true - real facts, not alternative facts, as Kelly-Ann Conway called them. Alternative facts are simply lies.
Trump still refuses to release his tax returns. We don't know why or what he's hiding. But it's looking as if he's in violation of the Constitution in several ways. Presidents aren’t supposed to make a profit in the private sector. But he plans to build 40 new hotels in the US - under his sons’ control - and you can bet he'll reap the profits. The rest of the family is just as self-serving.
A former Bush administration State Department counselor is sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump: "It will not get better," wrote Eliot A. Cohen at The Atlantic. "It will get worse, as power intoxicates Trump and those around him." Cohen's outlook is grim:
"[Trump's presidency] will probably end in calamity — substantial domestic protest and violence, a breakdown of international economic relationships, the collapse of major alliances, or perhaps one or more new wars (even with China) on top of the ones we already have. It will not be surprising in the slightest if his term ends not in four or in eight years, but sooner, with impeachment or removal under the 25th Amendment. And check out:
"http://theweek.com/articles/703687/let-2020-democratic-primary-crazy-freeforall?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=afternoon&utm_medium=06_11_17-article_8-703687
As Paul Waldman says: "Less than five months in, his presidency looks to be a disaster, and there's nothing like a president with approval ratings in the 30s to make opposition politicians think that this would be a great time to mount a campaign. Trump has also lowered the bar for experience, preparation, and temperament so much that any Democrat is sure that as the nominee they'd look spectacular by comparison — heck, compared to Trump, your average Labrador retriever looks like a model of keen intellect and thoughtful decision-making."
