Keep presidential records public

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AP Photo, Justice Department handout

Tell lawmakers that presidential records are public property, and efforts to hide them threaten our democracy.

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Tell Congress to support the Presidential Records Act

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Dear [Senator/Representative],

As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to ISSUE A STATEMENT explicitly reaffirming that the Presidential Records Act is constitutional and that any claims to the contrary are not lawful and threaten our democracy.

This is necessary in response to the Department of Justice’s recent memo claiming the PRA is unconstitutional, arguing that a president’s records are private property.

This is wrong and flips 50 years of transparency on its head.

The law has required every president since Ronald Reagan to turn their records over to the government at the end of their term. This ensures that the “American story” belongs to the public, not just those who inhabit the White House.

This transparency provided vital insights into Democratic and Republican administrations alike, on topics ranging from the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal and the George W. Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

If this DOJ memo stands, every future president, Democrat or Republican, will operate in total darkness.

This is a bipartisan emergency. I am asking you to PLEASE SPEAK OUT and use your influence to safeguard the PRA. Your efforts to ensure our government remains transparent will have major implications for the public’s faith in our democracy.

Thank you.

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Thank you for urging lawmakers to stand against dangerous secrecy.

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