In the wake of Trump’s Tuesday meltdown where he attempted to argue there was violence on “both sides” in the Charlottesville riot that ended with a counterprotestor murdered and an innocent man beaten bloody by Nazis, the dam has broken as CEOs resigned from his business councils, and the GOP has specifically told Nazis to stop voting Republican. Now, another council has left the administration en masse, the President’s Committee On The Arts And Humanities. And they made a point as they walked out the door.
NBC News first got the letter, which was delivered early Friday:
JUST IN: In letter to Pres. Trump, a mass resignation from the presidential arts and humanities committee. pic.twitter.com/4Mor0vEoBK
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 18, 2017
The full transcript of the letter is worth reading and is extremely pointed about why the committee, which includes some of America’s most prominent figures in the fine arts and the humanities, are leaving the council, of which Melania Trump is the honorary head:
Speaking truth to power is never easy, Mr. President. But it is our role as commissioners on the PCAH to do so. Art is about inclusion. The Humanities include a vibrant free press. You have attacked both. You released a budget which eliminates arts and culture agencies. You have threatened nuclear war while gutting diplomacy funding. The administration pulled out of the Paris agreement, filed an amicus brief undermining the Civil Rights Act and attacked our brave trans service members. You have subverted equal protections, and are committed to banning Muslims and refugee women & children from our great country. This does not unify the nation we all love.
And, if you look closely, the letter includes a coded message that Twitter quickly noticed. If you look at the first letter of each paragraph and the salutation at the end, it spells out “RESIST.” As of this writing the Trump administration had no comment on the resignations.
(via NBC News)