Daily Yopp! 1.16.17 - Support Office of Government Ethics

Hopefully most of you have the day off today in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I had thought about making today's Yopp! about thanking the Congressional Black Caucus for their leadership or attending one of the many MLK Day rallies happening around the country, but we've got some pressing issues that need more immediate attention. I'll add some notes about rallies and about who the members of the Black Caucus are below in case you have time.

Okay...today's Yopp! is about the ongoing battle between the Office of Government Ethics (headed by Walter Shaub) and the many players involved in the Trump transition. In a nutshell, Shaub has been taking a lot of heat for basically doing his job, which is to ensure that our government officials do not have conflicts of interest. He's been asking for Trump to divest his finances and/or set up a blind trust (as opposed to just letting his children run Trump Industries). He's also asking that cabinet nominees submit information so they can be properly vetted before confirmation.

Your mission (should you choose to accept it): Contact your MoCs (Members of Congress) and tell them that Shaub must be allowed to do his job and that they should not confirm any nominees who have not been fully vetted.

Since you MoC's offices are closed today, you can do any of the following: leave a voice mail message, write a letter/postcard, write an email. I'm told by a member of Dianne Feinstein's staff that the emails DO get included in the counts of what constituents care about. Don't bother getting too flowery with your language. Just get to the point:

SCRIPT FOR SENATORS: I am writing/calling to ask that Senator _________ listen to what Walter Shaub of the Office of Government Ethics is saying and demand that President-elect Trump and his cabinet nominees submit to a full vetting of their tax records and background so that Congress can make an informed decision about whether to confirm these nominations. If any of the nominees are not fully vetted, I ask that you vote NO on those confirmation.

SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVES: I am writing/calling to ask that Representative _________ listen to what Walter Shaub of the Office of Government Ethics is saying and demand that President-elect Trump and his cabinet nominees submit to a full vetting of their tax records and background so that the Senate can make an informed decision about whether to confirm these nominations. If any of the nominees are not fully vetted, Representative _____ should ask our state's senators to vote NO on those confirmations.


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Bonus Actions in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

THANK A MEMBER OF THE BLACK CAUCUS

You may have noticed that a lot of the Congressional resistance to the Trump agenda is being led by African-American congresspeople. Basically, the Congressional Black Caucus is kicking butt. As such, we should send them a little appreciation.

Here's a Wikipedia article that lists all of them. If one or more of your MoCs are on the list, start by sending them a little note of appreciation. From there, pick a few that are from other states/districts. Everyone needs love, even when they are busy kicking butt. Your note doesn't need to be detailed. Something as simple as: Dear Representative/Senator _________, Thanks for all the work you are doing in alliance with the Congressional Black Caucus. You are amazing!!

Wikipedia Article on Congressional Black Caucus

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation website


Participate in MLK 120 Hours Callout 2017 (Bay Area residents)

The Anti Police-Terror Project is organizing multiple actions spanning 120 hours. Check them out here:

Google Doc with MLK 120 Hours Actions