The Interior secretary shared a video hailing Trump's 'historic feats.' Critics called it 'propagand

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

The Interior secretary shared a video hailing Trump’s ‘historic feats.’ Critics called it ‘propaganda.’

By
Timothy Bella
Oct. 28, 2020 at 3:57 a.m. CDT

Over a bouncy tune, the video flashes stunning images of birds, mountains and plains over text hailing President Trump for "preserving the awesome majesty of God’s great creation.” It was shared Tuesday evening on the official Twitter account of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who suggested it celebrated Trump’s “historic feats of conservation.”

. . .

“This is a propaganda video created with your tax dollars meant to bolster the President’s chances of being re-elected,” tweeted Tim Fullerton, who was director of digital strategy for the Interior Department during the Obama administration. “This is way outside the lines.”

Fullerton was among the critics on Tuesday night who accused Bernhardt and the Interior Department of using agency resources to promote a video supporting Trump’s reelection in violation of the Hatch Act, an anti-corruption law Congress passed in 1939.

The Interior Department didn’t immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post about the video late on Tuesday. On Twitter, the department’s press secretary responded to Fullerton by claiming the agency had “increased the number ethics staff by 250% to remove the rotten stench from the blatant failure of the prior administration to invest in the ethics program.”



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10/28/trump-video-interior-department-bernhardt-election/

[pfitz59]

1. Trump's entire campaign is one giant Hatch Act violation

Who's paying for all those trips on AF-1?

[Walleye]

2. Remove the rotten stench !

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. As opposed to this:

FACT SHEETS

President Trump’s Coronavirus Response Has Saved Over 2 Million Lives and Outperformed Other Nations

HEALTHCARE

Issued on: October 27, 2020

"We will vanquish the virus, we will overcome this pandemic, and we will emerge better, stronger, and more unified than ever before."

President Donald J. Trump

SAVING LIVES AND OUTPERFORMING OTHER NATIONS: The United States has had a lower mortality rate than Europe during the pandemic and one of the lowest fatality rates.

• President Trump’s decisive action has helped save American lives.

{snip}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Popehat Retweeted:

YourFACEIsInaccurateHat Retweeted

This is the worst “social media editor is a little tipsy and tired of all the haters” tweet I’ve ever seen

Link to tweet

Here is a link to the Interior Press Secretary's account:

Link to tweet

Interior Press Secretary Retweeted

The
@realDonaldTrump
Administration has accomplished historic feats for conservation, securing the largest investment in our national parks and public lands, opening 4 million acres to new hunting and fishing opportunities, and recovering a record number of endangered species.

Link to tweet

[Firestorm49]

5. This is just another violation that will be obscured by the end of the day.

Assuming that we regain control, we need to go after every single violation like a pit bull. The American public needs to become assured again that breaking the laws have consequences, and I for one, say “show no mercy.”

[moose65]

6. Jeez. These people....

Why is everything the Trump administration does labelled as "historic" or "unprecedented"?? Drives me up the wall.

On the other hand, this administration IS unprecedented in its lack of ethics and utter corruption.

[Stuart G]

7. Thank You for posting this article...K and R.

[Kid Berwyn]

8. Criminals.

Lock them up.

[marble falls]

9. He's kissing up for a host's job at Mar-A Lago after Nov 3.

[scarletwoman]

10. Here's a partial list of all the assaults he's made on the environment, just in 2017:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/24/what-trump-has-undone/

Withdrew from the Paris climate agreement.

Blocked the Clean Power Plan. The plan implemented under Obama focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. In October, The Post reported that the administration would seek to repeal it entirely.

Suspended a rule limiting methane leaks from drilling on federal land. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Ended a study on the health effects of mountaintop-removal mining. The process involves blasting away the tops of hills and mountains to get at coal seams under the surface.

Rescinded a rule mandating that rising sea levels be considered when building public infrastructure in flood-prone areas.

Reversed an Obama ban on drilling for oil in the Arctic.

Announced a reduction in the scale of several national monuments. In April, Trump signed an executive order ordering a review of monuments added in the past 20 years, opening up the possibility that some areas previously set aside would have that status revoked. Last month, Trump announced plans to reduce the size of two, one after lobbying from a uranium company.

Ignored a deadline to implement a rule regulating smog.

Withdrew a rule regulating fracking on public land.

Announced plans to reconsider controversial protections for the sage grouse in western states. The bird’s habitat has been reduced as sagebrush has been removed in places that are being developed, often for oil and grass drilling. While not officially endangered, conservation groups worry about the sage grouse’s fate.

Postponed an EPA rule that would have had chemical plants better evaluate and inform the public about possible safety issues. This decision, made in June, drew new attention after Hurricane Harvey flooding led to an explosion at a facility near Houston.

Rejected a proposed ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The month after this decision, a group of farmworkers were sickened by exposure to the chemical.

Reversed a ban on plastic bottles at national parks.

Repealed a ban on lead bullets. The bullets were banned under Obama because the lead can poison wildlife.

Rescinded a limit on the number of sea animals that can be trapped or killed in fishing nets.

Delayed and potentially rolled back automotive fuel efficiency standards.

Began repeal of a rule that would weaken emissions standards for some truck components.

Repealed the Waters of the United States rule. This rule expanded the definition of water bodies that were protected by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ended a rule banning dumping waste from mining into streams.

Reversed a rule banning hunting bears and wolves. The ban applied to federal refuges in Alaska and prohibited hunting predators using certain methods.

Repealed a rule that would have overhauled the federal land management process.

Removed more than a dozen academics from the EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board.

Removed a bike-sharing station at the White House.

There has been much more in the years since - including today's announcement about opening up the Tongass to logging - but I don't have a handy list in one place, sad to say.

I imagine there are other people/organizations keeping track - I hope!