The Leadership Conference Statement on January 6th Pardons and Executive Orders: “Abuse of Power Reigns”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]
WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:
“Abuse of power reigns.
“With a torrent of executive orders, pardons, and commutations, this administration is giving permission to vigilantes, endangering people, sowing fear, and creating more chaos and higher costs. President Trump has made clear that his administration will ignore the Constitution and lawbreaking as long as it hurts people and programs it doesn’t like. It expects Congress to comply rather than legislate, federal agencies to harm rather than help, and it intends to dole out cruelty over collaboration on solving shared problems.
“On January 7, 2021, then-President Donald Trump said: ‘The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay.’
“Last night, as expected, he pardoned and commuted the sentences of people charged with crimes in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Within this group were people who wore “Camp Auschwitz” shirts, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and others who attacked police officers with stun guns, pepper spray, and riot shields and who threatened members of Congress and others. The January 6 riot was a hateful, violent attack on the will of voters and on our multiracial democracy. Trump and congressional Republicans knew it was at the time. The lack of accountability for one of our nation’s worst moments is not only appalling — it also sends the signal that violent extremist groups have permission if they believe they are doing what the administration wants.
“This not only invites future attacks on democracy. It invites vigilante attacks in the name of a cause that is not for working people or problem-solving, but for hate and division.
“The president signed a series of executive orders that defy common sense, are often unclear, and in other cases are clearly illegal — but which could serve as a signal to those his pardons have empowered to further threaten and divide. That is not safety. That is not problem-solving. That is dangerous.
“On immigration, his executive orders are a muddled mess that is hard to fully decipher, but one thing is clear: Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and in our courts, and even this Supreme Court — sullied with ethics issues and with a majority of justices who appear to be captured by the wealthy and powerful — must uphold it. The executive orders sow chaos rather than create any kind of solutions that honor our values and our laws.
“As Americans, we have a deep and abiding belief that the government can’t tell us who we are. This president now does just that. No one should tell us who we are, how we can identify, or what to believe. This president has defied our most sacred right that would not only make some of our family members, neighbors, and fellow Americans invisible through redefinition, but also makes them vulnerable to even more bullying, privacy invasions, and discrimination. By advancing narrow definitions of sex and gender, and directing agencies to upend civil rights enforcement, the president is encouraging intolerance and making it harder for people to live their lives with dignity and respect — including children who should not be pushed to believing suicide is their only option.
“The president has shown he wants to undermine civil rights, not advance them. Even as business leaders and research alike make clear that diversity, equity, and inclusion is good for growth and good for our economy, President Trump would rather distract us with unfounded attacks on what we need to succeed. His executive orders undermine crucial diversity programs and undermine our ability to know how we are doing on fairness, diversity, and civil rights.
“The Biden White House’s executive order on artificial intelligence was a necessary step to protect people against discriminatory AI systems that profit CEOs at the expense of everyday people. We know that AI and algorithmic systems can and do harm people — people like Gene Lokken, who was denied lifesaving care by UnitedHealthcare because an algorithm inexplicably determined he wasn’t worth it. As one of the largest consumers of AI products, tools, and services, the federal government has a responsibility to set the standard for what good governance looks like for every developer, deployer, and consumer. Rolling back this executive order is an incredible mistake, leaving the door open for corporations building and deploying AI to run unchecked. Without safeguards in the rollout of AI throughout the federal government, people could unfairly lose access to housing, health care, financial aid, and other essential goods and services, holding back our communities from fully enjoying the benefits of innovation.
“On misinformation, President Trump’s executive order hides behind ‘free speech’ to abdicate the government’s responsibility to stop bad actors from interfering in our elections, seeking to manipulate vulnerable communities and threaten our democracy.
“As a whole, these executive orders make abundantly clear that this administration is determined to roll back the clock to the bad old days of discrimination and remake government to protect and defend the billionaires, divide and conquer the rest of us, and neuter government so it protects power over people and profits over problem-solving. Among the rescissions of various Biden administration efforts, the new administration rolled back a Biden executive order calling for the development of policies to lower drug costs for people with coverage under Medicare and Medicaid, in addition to actions taken to protect and expand access and affordability of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. It also leaves open the possibility of cost increases.
“Make no mistake: We will not tire and we will mobilize and fight back using every tool we have to protect the people who need protecting.”
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 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.
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