On Wednesday, Daily Kos joined Greenpeace and Corporate Accountability in an action to oppose Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt. We marched into Mitch McConnell’s office with over 170,000 signatures from Americans demanding a better nominee.
But we weren’t alone. We were joined in our protest against this hypocritical nomination by swamp monsters. Like, THE swamp monsters.
These creatures of the sticky and stinky deep have been on Bernhardt’s tail for some time now, popping up at hearings and outside of the Capitol. And there’s no question why…
Donald Trump has continually promised to “drain the swamp,” yet as a former oil lobbyist, Bernhardt IS the swamp. He has so many conflicts of interest, he carries them around on a card in order to keep track. Trump’s nominee EMBODIES the swamp.
The Secretary of the Interior Department plays a key role in directing the management of our parks, monuments, forests, refuges, water and wildlife, including endangered species and management of oil, natural gas, and coal on public lands. Bernhardt’s confirmation would jeopardize these public resources for the benefit of fossil fuel interests.
After leaving the private sector to serve as deputy secretary to the since-ousted Ryan Zinke, Bernhardt continued to play an active role in the Trump administration's push to open public lands to fossil fuel and mining interests. Furthermore, when Trump ordered to open almost the entire United States coastline to offshore drilling, Bernhardt did the heavy lifting of developing the plan.
Most recently, this gem of a human helped block the release of a report on the risks that pesticides pose to endangered species. This report indicated that two pesticides were so toxic, they “jeopardize the continued existence” of thousands of endangered animals and plants.
In response to his nomination, we launched a petition calling on the Senate to reject David Bernhardt. We wanted to send the message that our landmarks, monuments, forests, water, and wildlife are not to be jeopardized by special interests. Over 170,000 people supported this message.
We delivered the petition signatures to Mitch McConnell’s office, presented by the swamp monsters. The support was tremendous, and the message was received. We will not sit idly by while our public lands and natural resources are threatened.
How can Trump “drain the swamp” if he keeps filling it with more swamp monsters like David Bernhardt? We must demand the Senate reject this nomination.
If you didn’t get to sign the Bernhardt petition, you can still help prevent future swamp monsters from being confirmed: Reject Stephen Moore’s appointment to the Board of Governors.