DPCC Co-Chair Cicilline: This is Not the Way our Democracy is Supposed to Work
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman David Cicilline, Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), appeared on CNN with Wolf Blitzer to discuss ways the President continues to act against the interests of the country as outlined in the anonymous New York Times op-ed crafted by a senior Administration official. The op-ed describes a "two-track presidency" taking place at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Below are excerpts from the interview. Click here to watch the video.
"The op-ed, I think didn't really surprise very many of us. It was consistent with the President's behavior and the way this Administration is operating – there's nothing shocking in it. And of course the President and his allies are denying that it's true, claiming that it's made up – and that it's not really a government official. I think what would make it very powerful is if this person were to come forward, identify themselves, and the American people would see it actually is a member of the Trump Administration, a high-ranking official, who would then lose his or her job. I think it would give tremendous credibility to those observations. Presumably that would have some effect – because I think the President relies on the constant denial that there is chaos in the White House. He says it's a finely tuned machine. And this would be an opportunity for someone who's worked in the White House at a high level, shared very important observations to identify, to have the courage to say, you know, it's me and this is important for our country. We can't have our country operate with a bunch of people secretly trying to mitigate the damage the President is causing. We need to shine a light on it in a real way, let the American people see it, and then elect people who are going to hold this Administration accountable. But I think it would go a long way to piercing the President's claim that all this is made up and some big conspiracy but not actual people working in the White House who are making these observations. So I really hope the person who wrote that is reflecting on it and will come forward and identify himself or herself. I don't think, you know, frankly it matters, but it will give a lot more meaning to this written piece if the person is known. I think it would help.
"But the hope is that if this person comes forward, it might begin to persuade my Republican colleagues to actually do what they're required to do under our constitution: meaningful oversight. It might cause people to vote for elected officials in the midterms that are committed to responsible oversight. So there are other benefits that will come from this. I think the other thing is the writer of this made it clear he or she is part of a group of people within the Administration that are attempting to protect the country from the worst reckless behavior of this President. Presumably there are others who will continue to do that. But that's not the way our democracy is supposed to work. We elect people. They ought to be allowed to assemble their teams that reflect their own priorities and kind of relying on people to remain secret in the White House to protect us from our own President is really not the way it's supposed to work. I think shining a light on this, having this official identify himself or herself, and then hopefully that's going to cause a series of other things, like real oversight, like the election of the right people in the midterms and a number of other things that will have a much more significant benefit for our democracy than this one single person within the Administration.
"I think it raises some very serious questions about what your duty is as a high-level official in the government. And people who take those positions, take oaths of office, take oaths to our constitution, to protect and defend the constitution of the United States and serve the people of this country. You can imagine there are instances where people in order to honor the oath they've taken need to take a view contrary to the President, particularly to this President. This is a very unusual moment in our nation's history. I don't know there are many examples of it happening before, but there have been a few examples. I think, in general, we want people to get elected and assemble the team that reflects their priorities. But these are dangerous times. These are different times. We've seen a President who has repeatedly taken actions contrary to the interests of our country. Helsinki maybe being the most recent example where he stood next to Vladimir Putin and sided with a country that attacked our democracy and undermined the rule of law and the confidence we have in our intelligence agencies. These are unusual times, and I think having people who are willing to be courageous and stand up for our country and put their country over their political affiliation with a particular President is important, but it also is something that people need to understand. That's why I think the identity of this person would be helpful to make people understand that this really is happening at the White House and completely reject the President's notion that everything is terrific and it's running like a finely tuned machine. We know that's not true. This person wrote about it, and they can help confirm that by disclosing who they are."