Quigley’s move come amidst the president’s tweets frequently making headlines
Congressman Mike Quigley on Monday (IL-05) introduced a ‘covfefe’ bill asking to archive President Donald Trump’s personal twitter account @realDonaldTrump in the same manner as his official @POTUS handle.
The Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement of ‘COVFEFE’ Act systemizes vital guidance from the National Archives by amending the Presidential Records Act to include the term ‘social media’ as a documentary material.
“In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets,†Rep. Quinley said in a press release. “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.â€
Quigley’s move come amidst the president’s tweets frequently making headlines, including the incomplete ‘covfefe’ and calling fired FBI director James Comey a ‘leaker’.
“While his personal account has become the de facto account for government business, it is unclear as to whether or not it would be archived in the same manner as the official @POTUS account under the Presidential Records Act. Another concern relates to President Trump’s frequent deletion of tweets. Including social media in the Presidential Records Act ensures that deleted tweets are documented for archival purposes, and makes deleting tweets a violation of the Presidential Records Act, subject to disciplinary action,â€the press release from the Chicago Democrat’s office read.
Rep. Quigley is the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Transparency Caucus and is working to combat Trump administration’s recent efforts to roll back transparency. Earlier in March, he introduced the Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness (MAR-A-LAGO) Act that requires the publication of visitor logs to the White House or any other location where the President regularly conducts official business.
Social Media Updates:
#COVFEFEAct makes deleting tweets a violation of Presidential Records Act—WH says tweets = official statements; Trump has deleted 18 so far.
— Mike Quigley (@RepMikeQuigley) June 12, 2017
If Trump is going to take to social media to make public policy proclamations, we must ensure these statements are preserved. #COVFEFEAct
— Mike Quigley (@RepMikeQuigley) June 12, 2017