Bills clearly show Trump creating Swamp

It seems like impeachment has been a hot topic since the day of the election, with many Democratic congresspeople calling for impeachment, independent investigations and limiting Trump’s powers as president. In fact, Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from Calfornia, and Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, introduced a House resolution (H.Res.438) two months ago calling for the impeachment of President Trump for attempting to impede the investigation of his campaign’s ties to Russia by firing former FBI Director James Comey.

However, this is far from the only piece of legislation introduced to curb the power of Trump.  He campaigned on “draining the swamp” but seems more interested in becoming it, something that congress has noticed — and is attempting to stop.

When “Trump” is searched on the official website of Congress (congress.gov), 78 results show up, most of them bills introduced to stop the president from misusing federal funds, interfering with the justice system, being bribed by foreign powers and using his position to make money.

The many pieces of legislation demanding Trump give information on his finances prove that Congress is worried about his businesses interfering with his responsibilities as president.

H.R.2143, titled the Donald J. Trump Wealth Tax Act, if passed, would impose a 14.25 percent net worth tax on all people with more than $10 million, suggesting that some congresspeople doubt whether the the president even pays taxes. Considering Trump’s comments on the issue, it’s a reasonable question to ask.  S.Con.Res.8 raises concerns about whether President Trump has truly put his various businesses into a blind trust, and calls upon him to respect the Emoluments Clause by doing so.

H.Res.437 requests that the president turn over to the House “in a manner appropriate to classified information” any documents relating to his administration’s responses to requests for information from Congress, the lease agreement between the Trump Old Post Office LLC and the government, and certain financial information relating to the Trump Old Post Office LLC.

H.Res.111 directs Attorney General Jeff Sessions to disclose any necessary information regarding the president’s finances.  H.Res.479 asks that Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin disclose certain pieces of information relating to Trump’s tax returns, and H.Res.186 outright asks Mnuchin for “the tax returns and other specified financial information.” H.Res.447 requests that Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke turn over information about Trump’s businesses.

All of these point to how congress sees the president: someone who doesn’t understand what it means to be president and will not do what is right if it comes at the expense of his profits. Trump’s inability to look out for anyone other than himself is exemplified by the Russia scandal.

Congress has also introduced legislation to demand that Trump turn over information about his connection to Russia, and to curb his tendencies toward collusion, making it clear that they see his suspiciously close relationship with Russia as an issue.

H.Con.Res.47 proclaims that Trump and his family must cooperate with the investigation into his Russia connection, and that the president should not take actions benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin or any other Russian oligarchs, saying that “the Trump administration is acting under a gray cloud of suspicion.”

Maxine Waters introduced H.Con.Res.15 in early January, which expresses that Congress must expend all resources necessary to discover what connection Trump and his campaign had with Russia, and how that connection impacted the outcome of the 2016 election.  H.Res.442 singles out Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, demanding that he turn over any information regarding Trump’s financial connection to Russia.

This is absurd.  That Congress needs to take action to ensure that our president does not collude with a foreign nation is absurd.

It has even been proposed that certain visitors to Mar-a-Lago must be disclosed.  The cleverly titled MAR-A-LAGO Act, which is an acronym for Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness, says that Trump should release specific visitor records because, “the American people expect and deserve transparency in government.”

Another acronymically inclined act is the BRIBE Act, which stands for Battling Russian Intelligence Baiting Efforts.  This bill implies that Trump, the president of the United States, the leader of the free world, requires congressional oversight so that he will not be bribed by foreign nations.

H.Res.474 shows Congress’s disapproval of Trump’s attempts to close the Russia investigation, and H.Res.368 disapproves of his irresponsibility, which “may have caused grave harm to United States national security.”  H.Res.456 simply states that the House should be “objecting to the conduct of the President of the United States.”

Another House resolution (H.Res.286) asks that certain White House officials provide any information necessary to the House’s efforts to investigate Trump’s potential conflicts of interest.

Congress should not have to babysit the president. It should be a given that they won’t collude with a foreign nation, impede an investigation or use the presidency for financial gain.

It cannot be stated frequently enough that this is not normal.