Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement today following President-elect Trump’s nomination of Dr. Ben Carson to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development:
“With the nomination of Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), President-elect Donald Trump has chosen a disturbingly unqualified individual for a key leadership positon in his administration. The HUD Secretary has the critical role of building strong, sustainable and inclusive communities that provide access to quality affordable homes for all. Dr. Carson has absolutely no experience to even remotely prepare him for the serious responsibility of leading a federal agency that directly impacts the quality of life of so many Americans.
“It is imperative that the administration and Congress focus on building comprehensive and long-term solutions to reverse the growing epidemic of housing insecurity. The community development and housing assistance programs that HUD directs help ensure that all individuals and families have a place to call home.”
Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about reports that Donald Trump is nominating General James Mattis for Secretary of Defense:
“General Mattis has served the United States tirelessly, with admirable distinction. However, the unusual circumstances of his nomination raise serious questions about fundamental principles of our Constitutional order. Civilian control of the military is not something to be casually cast aside. So while I like and respect General Mattis a great deal, the House of Representatives would have to perform a full review, including hearings by the Armed Services Committee, if it were to consider overriding the statutory prohibition on recent military officers serving as the Secretary of Defense.
”I want to reiterate how much I admire General Mattis. I worked with him personally in the many positions he has held during his service. We have a close personal relationship, and I consider him an outstanding individual and officer. I will be having close conversations with him in the coming days about how to ensure we maintain civilian control of the military.”
Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement on passage of the FY 2017 NDAA conference report:
“This bill makes a valuable contribution to our country’s national security. While it does not contain everything we could have hoped for, the bill includes a number of positive improvements to U.S. defense policy. It wisely avoids earlier efforts to discriminate against LGBT individuals, erode the Endangered Species Act, undermine labor laws, and much besides. Instead, it focuses on efforts to advance the defense of the United States, and I believe it succeeds in doing so.”
Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to maintain their use of private detention facilities:
“Today, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advisory panel has recommended that U.S immigration authorities be directed to maintain their current use of private detention facilities. I am extremely disappointed by this announcement, as this policy will continue the status quo of systemic problems in our immigration detention system that we know must be fixed.
“Following the reported outcomes of the DHS two-month review, I have requested a meeting with DHS officials to be briefed on the rationale behind this alarming decision. I will continue to fight for polices that will comprehensively reform our flawed detention policy. It is unacceptable for our immigration detention system to be allowed to benefit private corporations at high cost to taxpayers, detainees, and their families.”
President-elect Trump has continued to produce dangerous and unhinged rhetoric. His recent statement regarding the ‘millions of people who voted illegally’ is completely unacceptable given there is absolutely no evidence of voter fraud. Trump’s actions only serve to undermine the system of government that he is preparing to lead in 50 days.
This is especially disturbing considering that around the nation there have been widespread voter intimidation tactics and voter suppression laws that kept hundreds of thousands of voters away from the polls in battleground states. These voter identification laws have kept away many of those who do not have access or the resources to obtain particular identification cards that are deemed satisfactory in certain states. President-elect Trump supports these laws that turn away the voices of individuals with low socioeconomic status.
I have stated that I will continue to hold President-elect Trump accountable for his actions that have been less than Presidential. I am committed to fighting this administration every step of the way.
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Senator Jeff Sessions for the position of Attorney General:
“With the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions as the 84th Attorney General for the United States, President-elect Donald Trump has selected a documented racist to be a member of his cabinet.
“Senator Sessions has a long history of disturbing racism. In 1986, Senator Session’s racism kept him from being confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee for a federal judgeship under President Ronald Reagan. During the confirmation hearings, it became public that Senator Sessions had previously made statements sympathizing with the Ku Klux Klan and viewed both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as “un-American” and “trying to force civil right down the throats of people.”
“The next Attorney General will be tasked with essential role of chief law enforcement officer and chief lawyer of the United States government. Regardless of who the Senate confirms as Attorney General, I will continue to vocally advocate for policies that create a more just criminal justice system, and fight to dismantle structural racism at all levels of our government.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Steve Bannon to the White House staff:
“I am extremely disturbed that as one of his first decisions as President-elect, Donald Trump has announced his appointment of Steven Bannon as White House Chief Strategist. Mr. Bannon is the Executive Chairman of the website Breitbart News, where he has repeatedly and aggressively pushed stories that promote Anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and racism. Under Mr. Bannon’s leadership, Breitbart has served as a “platform for the alt-right,” a movement that supports White Nationalism and openly rejects the value of diversity.
“Following the President-elect’s announcement, leading white nationalists like former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon David Duke have applauded the news of Mr. Bannon’s appointment. In contrast, the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center are strongly opposed to Mr. Bannon’s selection.
“Mr. Bannon’s appointment will serve as a barrier to our country coming together following the election. As one of President-elect Trump’s top advisors, the White House Chief Strategist will help set the tone for the incoming administration. The person in this role must be prepared to serve the interests of all Americans, not those of a select few. In recognition of these concerns, I have signed on to a letter, along with 169 of my congressional colleagues which calls on President-elect Trump to rescind his appointment of Mr. Bannon and work to build a diverse White House staff that is committed to the core American values of inclusiveness, diversity, and tolerance.
“I have pledged to hold President-elect Trump accountable from day one, if he continues to divide us as a nation through his appointments to the Presidential Cabinet or through his proposed policies, I pledge to fight him every step of the way.”
Congressman Adam Smith joined Wolf Blitzer on his show The Situation Room to discuss the 2016 Presidential Election. See more here: Congressman Adam Smith on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
I am thankful and honored that the people of Washington’s 9th District who re-elected me to serve them in Congress. We are one of the most diverse districts in the nation, and I will continue to work hard to make sure that the voice of every person I represent is heard. I will also work together with my constituents to try to create greater equality and prosperity both here and across the country.
This will be more challenging given the campaign Donald Trump ran on his way to the presidency. It was one of the most bitter, divisive, nasty and negative our nation has ever witnessed. It tried to pull us apart instead of bringing us together. He claimed in his acceptance speech that he wants to heal these wounds and work together moving forward. I hope this is true, but have little reason to believe it is. The wounds he inflicted during the campaign to women, countless ethnic and religious groups, and a large number of others will not be easy to simply paper over and forget.
I have always believed in a pragmatic, problem-solving approach to politics and public policy, and have striven to be able to work with a wide range of people from liberal Democrats to conservative Republicans. I believe it is my duty to the people of my district to hold Mr. Trump accountable every step of the way. We are a better country than the one he portrayed during his campaign, and Mr. Trump will need to take a vastly different approach to governing than he did to running this race if we are to make progress on the challenges we face as a nation.
Again, I thank the people of the the 9th District for giving me the opportunity to continue to serve them in Congress.
When passed, I-873 will remove the “malice” and “without good faith belief that the act was justified” elements of the current law. What I-873 does is make it possible for officers who wrongfully use deadly force to be held accountable and for justice to be served. What it does not do is make every officer-involved shooting a criminal act, nor does it vilify all police officers. I-873 will be one step in helping rebuild the working relationship between police and the community that has been so badly damaged in recent years. Passing this reform is critical to helping law enforcement do their jobs.
When making the decision to charge an officer, prosecutors must weigh the evidence against the possible foreseeable defenses and determine that a judge or jury would convict the defendant. Under the current use of force law, this means having sufficient and admissible evidence of both an officer’s bad intent and his or her lack of a good faith belief, and that the evidence against the officer is stronger than foreseeable defenses. As a former prosecutor, I know how difficult proving intent can be for a run of the mill defendant. When faced with proving bad intent for a police officer who is legally able to use deadly force in many situations, the task becomes functionally impossible—leading nearly all prosecutors to determine that they cannot even charge a police officer involved in a questionable shooting. I-873 would create a system in which an officer involved in a bad shoot could be brought before a court of law.
Adam Smith is the Congressman from Washington’s 9th District. To find out where to sign I-873, click here. In addition, a state commission that’s been looking into changing Washington’s police killing law will be having its final meeting this November. Check back on Slog for details.