New ‘COVFEFE Act’ Will Make The President Accountable For Every Tweet – Even The Deleted Ones
President Donald Trump is certainly one to wear his feelings on his sleeve. In fact, he takes the time to express his feelings on Twitter usually daily, and many criticize that his remarks do not show that he can represent America in a calm and classy way. For a number of years, Trump has been very expressive about a number of topics, whether it be pop culture, celebrities, or politics.
Now, however, there has been a new Act initiated by Democratic Representative and Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley.
This Act stems from the Presidential Records Act (PRA), established in 1978, which governs the official records of Presidents and Vice Presidents created or received after January 20, 1981. One of the most notable elements in the Act include that “the President and his staff take all practical steps to file personal records separately from Presidential records.”
According to Mashable, this Act is now being expanded by the COVFEFE Act (Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement), which states that any tweet posted by the President, even if it is not from the presidential account, is included in the records. Moreover, deleted tweets are included, as well.
This Act stems from Trump’s tweet sent on May 31, stating, “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” He would later delete the tweet, and explain that “covfefe means coverage.” In addition, he had his press secretary announce that the word is basically an inside word that only a few people know about.
Rep. Quigley introduces the “COVFEFE Act” pic.twitter.com/3nIyPdBPqY
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) June 12, 2017
In a statement released today, Representative Quigley expressed the following.
“In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets. President Trump’s frequent, unfiltered use of his personal Twitter account as a means of official communication is unprecedented. If the President is going to take to social media to make sudden public policy proclamations, we must ensure that these statements are documented and preserved for future reference. Tweets are powerful, and the President must be held accountable for every post.”+
Chicago Rep. Quigley introduces ‘COVFEFE Act’ to preserve tweets from Trump’s personal account https://t.co/Al0RGf3uC3 pic.twitter.com/6aRoClMDcR
— Chicago Breaking News (@ChicagoBreaking) June 12, 2017
Just this month alone, Trump has posted a number of controversial tweets.
On June 1, Trump stated that the true controversy is “‘the unmasking and surveillance’ of people” involved in the Obama administration. On June 4, Trump admonished America to “stop being politically correct” and get down to business when it comes to providing security to the American people.
He also tweeted more on June 4 about the London attacks, which received a swarm of controversy. Along with being upset that the London Mayor stated that there is no reason to be alarmed after seven dead and 48 wounded, he also stated that there is no gun debate because the culprits are using trucks and knives.
He tweeted more on the next day about the travel ban alternative that was put in place, stating that the lawyers and courts can call it what they what, but in his opinion, it is still a travel ban. He also stated, “The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.”
The President made sure to double down on the extreme vetting, saying that a travel ban is necessary for “certain dangerous countries,” as well as call Democrats “obstructionists” for “taking forever to approve my people.”
Trump went on a tirade on June 11 regarding the ongoing James Comey saga, stating, “I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very ‘cowardly!'”
His most recent lashing went to the Democrats, whom he believes “[have] no message,” whether it is on economics, taxes, or jobs.
Seemingly, his string of negative tweets will come to a screeching halt, seeing how everything he states, even if deleted, will be recorded. For both democrats and republicans, perhaps this would assist with forcing the President to have a greater sense of decorum.
[Featured Image By J. David Ake/AP Images]
