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As you read this piece on how the Trump presidency shattered the norms of American democracy, remember that Trump did none of this on his own. He was aided and abetted all along the way by people like @SecBernhardt, who now think they’ll slink away. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/lifestyle/magazine/trump-presidential-norm-breaking-list/
A startling number of those norms were broken by Bernhardt directly — he's the one who kept William Perry Pendley on board in violation of the Vacancies Reform Act, not Trump. Bernhardt is the one who repeatedly ignored his own scientists on climate and wildlife.
Bernhardt is the one who refused to cooperate with congressional oversight and flouted ethics rules. Bernhardt is the one who let Interior department Twitter accounts turn into an arm of the Trump campaign.
And don't forget that Bernhardt is the one whose police force tear gassed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square. Bernhardt is, perhaps more than any cabinet member aside from Bill Barr, responsible for shattering the norms of American democracy.
This is his legacy. It's a toxic one. It's a dangerous one. And yet I suspect he plans on going back to his old friends at @BrownsteinHyatt, who he hopes will forget how he spent four years undermining America.
Guess what? We won't. Brownstein Hyatt's clients won't.
Guess what? We won't. Brownstein Hyatt's clients won't.
Every single lobbying firm that's thinking about hiring Trump administration officials has to do a gut check right now. Are they willing to stop being bipartisan firms that are respected on the Hill and in the White House?
Because if they welcome back people like Bernhardt and Wheeler and Barr, they are complicit in the shattering of American democracy. They—and every single one of their clients—should never be allowed to pretend the last four years didn't happen.
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