Today, a group of Senators led by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley signed a letter to President-Elect Donald Trump urging him to repudiate his hate-filled campaign attacks, and to show the country that he is serious about uniting Americans by immediately firing newly-appointed Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.
In addition to Senator Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Al Franken (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR) Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Senator-Elect Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The letter noted the wave of hundreds of acts of discrimination and violence that have been documented since Trump’s Electoral College victory, and called on him to immediately change course.
The Senators wrote:
“As you assume the mantle of leadership in office, it is your responsibility to put an end to the crimes of hate and prejudice sweeping our nation. These wounds to our national citizenry are of your making. It is your responsibility to rectify the damage. You have the power as President to move beyond the hate-filled rhetoric of your campaign.
“We call on you to repudiate your campaign attacks against diverse communities of Americans.
“We call on you to address the American people and demand that all Americans end their verbal and physical attacks and replace acts of hatred with acts of kindness.
“We call on you to exclude the proponents of discrimination and hatred from the ranks of your Administration, and that includes immediately firing Steve Bannon as your Chief Strategist.”
The full text of the Senators’ letter to President-Elect Donald Trump follows below:
Mr. President-Elect:
Your campaign conduct and Electoral College victory have unleashed a wave of verbal and physical assaults against our fellow Americans. In just the last six days, the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented hundreds of acts of discrimination and violence toward many of the ethnic and social groups you attacked in your campaign. These attacks are absolutely unacceptable. We condemn them. We stand united with our fellow Americans.
Unfortunately, these acts of hate have been enabled by your campaign strategy of promoting bigotry, racism, and sexism. It is the logical consequence of your campaign attacks on and discrimination aimed at Hispanics, African Americans, veterans, immigrants, women, Muslims, Jews, and individuals with disabilities. Millions of Americans see a President-elect who has chosen to knock them down rather than to lift them up. Your conduct has empowered too many Americans to act on their darkest impulses.
This is the wrong vision for America and the wrong path for your coming Administration. We call on you to change course. We urge you, as our future President, to join us in rejecting hate and embracing respect for every ethnicity, race and gender. We urge you to join us in fighting for a nation free of discrimination, where every child has the opportunity to thrive and to contribute according to his or her ability. We urge you to join us in fighting for our Constitutional vision of equality and opportunity and the vision in our Pledge of Allegiance of liberty and justice for all.
As you assume the mantle of leadership in office, it is your responsibility to put an end to the crimes of hate and prejudice sweeping our nation. These wounds to our national citizenry are of your making. It is your responsibility to rectify the damage. You have the power as President to move beyond the hate-filled rhetoric of your campaign.
We call on you to repudiate your campaign attacks against diverse communities of Americans.
We call on you to address the American people and demand that all Americans end their verbal and physical attacks and replace acts of hatred with acts of kindness.
We call on you to exclude the proponents of discrimination and hatred from the ranks of your Administration, and that includes immediately firing Steve Bannon as your Chief Strategist.
It is time for you to act boldly and powerfully to put the nation on a path of healing. For the sake of all Americans, we call on you to rise to the challenge.
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