Today, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration has threatened the independence of a bipartisan agency – the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board – by ordering the three Democratic-picked members to either resign or be fired by close of business on Jan. 23.
Without at least three members on the board, the independent agency tasked with investigating national security activities that can intrude upon individual rights – including any that may be perpetrated by the White House or intelligence agencies – will cease to function, preventing the board from alerting both Congress and the public to any privacy or surveillance wrongdoing occurring across government. Public Knowledge warns that these threats endanger the independence of our federal agencies as well as the privacy and security of all Americans.
The following can be attributed to Sara Collins, Director of Government Affairs at Public Knowledge:
“Demanding the resignation or firing of current Democratic board members jeopardizes independent oversight of surveillance programs under this administration. To kneecap such a vital agency shows how little President Trump cares about protecting Americans’ privacy.
“Furthermore, demanding the resignation of only Democratic commissioners – two of whom were originally nominated by President Trump himself – sets a dangerous precedent for all independent agencies. The President cannot be allowed to bully independent agencies into abandoning their public interest missions, or worse, to subsume all independent agencies under his direct control. Public Knowledge will be watching this administration carefully to ensure that our regulators can act in the best interest of the public – not competing to see who can impress President Trump the most. The American public should demand the same.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.