Letter: Citizens clamored to save ethics office
Construction continues on the inaugural platform in preparation for the inauguration and swearing-in ceremonies for President-elect Donald Trump, on the Capitol steps in Washington, on Dec. 8, 2016. Credit: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
House Republicans recently scrapped their plans to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics [“Donald Trump’s bully pulpit is a Twitter account,” Opinion, Jan. 5].
I take issue with the lack of credit given to those of us who flooded phone lines of GOP lawmakers to voice our displeasure with this closed-door assault on transparency. Donald Trump may have issued a critical tweet, but members of Congress cited a blizzard of angry constituent calls as the most important factor in persuading the House to sideline this amendment.
It’s important to highlight that participation for ordinary citizens isn’t just reserved for Election Day; we have the power to influence public policy every day, which requires us to get in the political arena.
Brendan Cunningham, West Babylon
