Another Trump Trick to Hide Truth on Census Citizenship Question

Civil Rights Coalition: ‘What Else Are They Hiding?’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: LaGloria Wheatfall, [email protected], 202.548.7160

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s assertion of executive privilege to block Congressional access to documents on the addition of an untested citizenship question to the 2020 Census:

“We’ve known since the beginning that the Trump administration added an unnecessary and unwarranted citizenship question to depress participation in the census by communities of color. Every revelation since the question was first proposed has reinforced that fact. The Trump administration has deployed a dizzying array of false pretexts for adding the question, ignored Census Bureau findings that the question would lead to an inaccurate count, and dismissed unmistakable evidence regarding the political motivation behind the question. Through it all, keeping vulnerable communities from accessing their duly deserved resources and representation has remained the focal point of the administration’s efforts.

“Congress has a vital oversight role to play and it is the administration’s duty to comply.  If Trump had nothing to hide, his administration would not resist the call to defend this untested, last-minute question.

“The president’s latest assertion only raises the question: what else are they hiding?”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.