Colorado Veterans: End Trump’s Foreign Conflicts
An open letter from Colorado veterans to Senator Cory Gardner
Dear Senator Cory Gardner:
We, the undersigned military veterans of Colorado, respectfully ask you, Senator Gardner, to join Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) in co-sponsoring S. 65, the “Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017” that has been introduced in the United States Senate. The bill requires President Donald Trump and his family to fully divest of their interest from the Trump Organization.
We ask Senator Gardner to support this legislation in the name of national security. Donald Trump has refused to sell his business. He has buildings bearing his name in at least eighteen countries. Moreover, after declaring bankruptcy, American banks refused to loan money to Trump, so he sought capital from Europe, China, and — most concerning giving recent events — Russia. In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said, “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”
Donald Trump’s foreign business conflicts of interest jeopardize national security by dividing his attention and clouding his judgment on any major foreign policy decision, damaging America’s long-standing alliances, and hurting military morale.
As veterans, we are particularly concerned about the last point. Trump’s buildings across the globe are now terrorist targets. If one is attacked, would Trump deploy the military? America’s service members swear to defend the United States Constitution, not the president’s private business. As veterans, that’s why it’s unconscionable to wonder whether President Trump might put even one of Colorado’s 35,000 active duty troops in harm’s way to protect the Trump Organization’s buildings. That’s not why Americans chose to join the military.
We feel it’s so important that Senator Gardner co-sponsor the Presidential Conflicts of Interest bill (S. 65) to resolve Trump’s conflicts of interest. We believe the national interest depends on it.
Signed,
- Dennis Shorts, Army, Denver
- Blake Hansen, Marine Corps, Denver
- Brenton Hutson, Marine Corps, Denver
- John Register, Army, Colorado Springs
- Don Martinez, Army, Colorado Springs
- Josh Anderson, Marine Corps, Denver
- Steven Phillips, Army, Grand Junction
- Joe Barrera, Army, Colorado Springs
- Bill Holen, Army, Aurora
- Brittany Bartges, Army, Aurora
- Larry Drake, Marine Corps, Denver
- T.A. Taylor Hunt, Air Force
- Gail Harris, Navy, Durango
- Dick Young, Navy, Denver
- Leia Guccione, Navy, Boulder
- Leanne Wheeler, Air Force, Aurora
- Claudia Castillo, Army, Denver
- Paul Farnan, Navy, Denver
- David Ortiz, Army, Aurora
- Ranger Miller Air Force, Arvada
- Drew Sloan, Army, Denver
- Jason Crow, Army, Denver
- Mike Dooley, Marine Corps, Arvada
You can read more about the letter and the #putUSfirst campaign at http://www.putusfirst.us/colorado_veterans_open_letter
