Democrats in the House and Senate on Tuesday introduced a bill mandating the publication of visitor logs at the White House and other personal properties where President Trump conducts business.
Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Transparency Caucus, introduced the Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness (MAR-A-LAGO) Act, a nod to Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The legislation was first introduced in the previous congressional term.
“No one should have greater access to or influence over the president or the administration just because they are wealthy, well-connected, or a regular at one of the president’s private clubs,” Udall said in a statement. “The administration’s refusal to disclose White House visitor logs – and the president’s insistence on conducting official business out of his private business properties – have created an environment where people seeking to influence the administration can access officials at the highest levels of government without public scrutiny.”
“The power of the presidency comes with a responsibility to provide the public with the records of those trying to influence our democracy. The MAR-A-LAGO Act is about upholding the integrity of the Oval Office and, based on this president’s track record, we know that transparency is not a priority of his, making public access to these visitor logs an absolute necessity,” Quigley added.
Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Tom Carper (Del.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) are all cosponsoring the legislation.