There's Now a 'COVFEFE' Act

It would preserve Trump's tweets as official statements
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 13, 2017 7:39 AM CDT
There's Now a 'COVFEFE' Act
President Donald Trump smiles during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Monday.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

First, covfefe made it into the Urban Dictionary. Now it could make it into the Presidential Records Act. Taking inspiration from White House spokesman Sean Spicer—who last week described Trump's tweets as "official statements by the president"—Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley on Monday introduced the Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement (COVFEFE) Act, which would add "social media" materials to those preserved as official statements under the Presidential Records Act, reports Reuters. If passed, it would require the National Archives to preserve tweets from Trump's official and personal accounts. The act would also bar Trump from deleting tweets, reports the Hill.

The COVFEFE Act isn't meant as a dig at Trump, at least not entirely. It addresses "a legitimate issue," per NPR, since the Presidential Records Act was crafted in 1978, before social media could've been imagined. "Tweets are powerful, and the president must be held accountable for every post," says Quigley, who previously introduced the Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness (MAR-A-LAGO) Act. "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." The White House has yet to comment. (Here's Spicer's take on covfefe.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X