Trump will continue to prey on fears of Americans: Jayapal

Washington, Nov 19, 2016 (PTI)

Pramila Jayapal, the first-ever Indian-American woman elected to US House of Representatives, has said President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that he will continue to prey on the fears of ordinary Americans. Jayapal, 51, warned she intends to be ready to stand and fight every step of the way, if Trump does not abandon the divisive rhetoric of his campaign.

Immediately following Trump's election, there have been more than 300 hate crimes reported across the US, she said. "By selecting Steve Bannon as chief strategist and now Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, Trump has made it clear that he will continue to prey on the fears of ordinary Americans instead of uniting us as a country, 'indivisible, with liberty and justice for all'," Jayapal said yesterday.

She alleged Bannon has overseen a website that publishes views that are clearly racist and reflect calls for a white supremacist agenda that have absolutely no place in the US. "I denounce President-elect Trump's appointment of Steve Bannon, and call on him to revoke this appointment," Jayapal said, adding that the announcement of Sessions as Trump's choice for Attorney General simply continues the pattern.

"Senator Sessions was not confirmed for a federal judgeship even by a Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee because of his history of racially charged actions and statements. It is untenable to have him as the appointee for the most important post in the country for civil rights and the upholding of our constitutional values," she said.

As the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sessions has opposed immigration reform as well as essential bipartisan proposals to reform the criminal justice system, she alleged. "Appointing him as Attorney General would send a terrifying message to people across the country about the next Administration's commitment to civil rights, criminal justice reform and constitutional rights," Jayapal said.

Though Trump has won the election through the electoral college, he should not forget that a majority of Americans rejected the pervasive racism and misogyny of his campaign by choosing another presidential candidate, she said.

"If Trump intends to be a President for all of the US, he must abandon the divisive rhetoric of his campaign and choose appointees who will uphold our constitutional values and the core ideas of inclusion and diversity. If he does not do so, I intend to be ready to stand and fight every step of the way and to build the movement that can stop these disastrous rollbacks to decades of progress," Jayapal added.