Letter: Did we ever hear who signed?

After the election, there were many articles about the new administration’s failure to sign the required ethics statement before new cabinet members could receive information. There was lots of discussion about when they might sign and under what circumstances. Well, the new administration has been sworn in and, from what I can see, no one signed. They still own and control companies. They will continue to receive payments from boards they were on and products they backed. One person in a role tasked with finding and eliminating government waste receives over $10 billion per year in government contracts. Oh, and the president started his own bitcoin.

There was a bipartisan law passed forcing China to divest or shut down TikTok for national security reasons. The Supreme Court heard arguments that the law infringed on Americans’ First Amendment rights and decided the law could stand. Now, by executive order, the president has decided he knows better and has put a 75-day hold on enforcement. He wants a joint venture between China and a U.S. firm. I wonder which company that might be? There are only a few companies with enough money to purchase a controlling share. We are seeing rights not only constrained but eliminated. Most of Trump’s executive orders are unconstitutional, but legal challenges cost both time and money. Week one in the books!

Thomas Kolling

Concord