An Open Letter to My Trumpian Legislators From South Carolina

Apr 29, 2025 02:30 PM EDT, Tue

An Open Letter to My Trumpian Legislators

Elections have consequences, and the choices we make today will shape the future of our democracy.

Trump has irreparably damaged the United States reputation on the world’s stage.

As Trumpian legislators are the majority in the red state of South Carolina, your elected seat is safe. However, there are other voters in the United States who can flip the majority in the House and Senate to Democrats.

This oath is not just ceremonial; it is a solemn promise to uphold the principles that define our nation.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

I urge you to summon the courage to stand against Trump and uphold and defend the Constitution as you swore when you took the oath of office.

Our nation is under attack from the president. The Trumpians in Congress have abdicated their responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution. They have capitulated in fear of Trump.

Trump is making enemies of our neighbors and allies; while Trump is making friends of our enemies.

Our allies recognize that the United States is erratic, unstable, and untrustworthy.

The other four major English speaking countries, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, are considering withholding intelligence information sharing with the United States. With the US, that intelligence group was known as the “Five Eyes.”

The following news occurred in the past two months:

Ignoring the First Amendment Protecting Freedom of Speech and the Press:

Banning the Associated Press from White House press briefings and the press pool because the AP won’t recognize “The Gulf of America” is an attack on the First Amendment.

The AP Stylebook specifies using internationally recognized names, as such, the Gulf of Mexico will continue to be used.

However, since Mount Denali is within America’s borders, it will now be recognized as Mount McKinley per Trump’s Executive Order and the chagrin of Alaskans.

Banning Law Firms From Federal Buildings, Contracts, Revoking Security Clearances:

Imagine if a Democratic president, Obama, Biden, or a future president, banned your law practice from practicing in federal courts and banned the firm’s employees from entering federal buildings.

According to their respective Wikipedia pages, Wilson, Fry, Timmons, and Graham are lawyers representing South Carolina in the House and Senate. Imagine if a Democratic president banned them and their firm from Federal buildings. They wouldn’t be able to represent clients in Federal Court, or even enter a Post Office.

Weaponizing Federal Government:

Trump is using the presidency to attack his perceived political enemies.

Calling for the Department of Justice to persecute Christopher Krebs and Miles Taylor. While Krebs led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), he affirmed that the 2020 election was the most secure.

Miles Taylor worked in the Department of Homeland Security. Taylor contributed to expanding U.S. protections against weaponized drones, and led sensitive counterterrorism activities at DHS, including work to disrupt terrorist plots that spanned multiple cells, multiple countries, and multiple attack vectors.

My use of the word persecute is intentional.

Merriam-Webster offers guidance on when to use prosecute instead of persecute: “One, you do in court; the other you do if you’re a jerk.”

Ignoring Court Rulings:

One court case received a unanimous 9-0 Supreme Court in favor of returning Abrego Garcia to the US. Another judge is considering holding the Trump administration in Contempt of Court. This deportation of illegal aliens in the dead of night to El Salvador’s gulag, CECOT prison, violates the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.

Every person is due process of law. We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.

Trump’s Capricious Leadership & On Again, Off Again Tariffs

Because of Trump’s whipsaw actions, Canada is considering cancelling their 19 billion dollar order of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets F-35 and buying from Europe. Portugal is canceling their order.

The European Union looks to strengthen trading partnerships with China and reduce trade with the United States.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” tanked the world’s stock markets. Nations and investors switched from the turbulent stock markets to the safe harbor of bonds. But US Treasury bonds were being sold and switched to European bonds. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent recognized that the bond market wasn’t behaving as expected and asked Trump to back off.

I don’t have a subscription to MarketWatch, but the headline of one article was clear. The United States economy is now considered an emerging market. Ouch!

Trump is not the brilliant businessman that he claims that he is. He has lost two casinos, and an airline, besides bankrupting his family-owned business six times.

Attacking Universities:

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was intended to prohibit the discrimination of blacks. Trump cannot strike law or create law with the issuance of executive orders.

Only Congress has the power to create legislation for the president to sign into law.

The courts have the power to strike laws or refine laws.

Threatening to have the IRS revoke Harvard’s tax exempt status is Nixon-esque. Just because Trump doesn’t like it’s policies or courses is outside of the powers of a presidency.

Signalgate:

If the sharing of war plans on their unsecured personal cellphones had happened with a Democratic president, Trumpian legislators would have been apoplectic, demanding firings. With a journalist, no less, in the group chat. The reaction from Trumpers was, “Meh.” This breach of protocol undermines the integrity of our military operations and puts American lives at risk.

Trump’s “America First” policy has left “America Alone” and isolated.

Illustrating America’s new isolation from a neighbor and former ally, is an excerpt from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s victory speech:

“Our old relationship with the United States, a relationship based on steadily increasing integration, is over. The system of open global trade anchored by the United States, a system that Canada has relied on since the Second World War, a system that well not perfect has helped deliver prosperity for a country for decades, is over.

“But it’s also our new reality.

“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons. We have to look out for ourselves and above all we have to take care of each other.”

This speech underscores the consequences of isolationist policies and the erosion of trust in American leadership.

Freedom from Consequences is not a protected Constitutional Right.

s/ Ralph Hightower

Congressmen
House of Representatives
Joe Wilson, (T-SC2)
1436 Longworth House Office Building 1 Independence Ave SE Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2452
Senate
Lindsey Graham (T-SC)
211 Russell Senate Office Building 2 Constitution Ave NE Washington, DC 20510 Office: (202) 224-5972 Fax: (202) 224-3808
Tim Scott (T-SC)
104 Hart Senate Office 120 Constitution Ave NE Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6121 Fax: (202) 228-5143

Tim Scott’s Reply

I received a response from Tim Scott.

If your staffer had bothered to read my email, they would have noticed that I did not mention transnational criminal organizations, MS-13, nor Tren de Aragua (TdA). Fentanyl was not mentioned. The canned reply was irrelevant to any of my concerns. As Homer Simpson would say, “D’Oh!”

My concern is the destruction of America by the lawless President Trump and the isolation of America on the world’s stage. I closed with an excerpt from Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, that Canada recognizes that America is no longer a friend and ally.

Ignoring the First Amendment Protecting Freedom of Speech and the Press
Banning Law Firms From Federal Buildings, Contracts, Revoking Security Clearances
Weaponizing Federal Government
Ignoring Court Rulings
Trump’s Capricious Leadership & On Again, Off Again Tariffs
Attacking Universities
Signalgate

I don’t know if you know of a Michael Steele, but he’s a black guy who chaired the Republican National Party (as it was known then) from January 30, 2009 – January 14, 2011. He’s now a host on MSNBC. He’s still a Republican, although I consider the incarnation of that political defunct; it is now the Trump Party. He is also concerned about the lawlessness of Trump.

Tim Scott’s Email Response

Dear Mr. Hightower,

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding President Trump’s ongoing efforts to secure our borders and enforce immigration laws. I am grateful to share some of my thoughts with you.

As you know, the current state of illegal immigration presents significant challenges to our national security. President Biden’s open-border policies led to rampant illegal immigration, with dangerous cartels trafficking humans, weapons, and harmful drugs like fentanyl. Transnational criminal organizations like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua (TdA) continue to terrorize American communities with their violent actions.

On January 20th, 2025, President Trump took decisive steps to address these threats via executive order. Through the EO, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, President Trump empowered agencies to repel, repatriate, and remove illegal aliens using the Immigration and Nationality Act. Additionally, the President authorized the apprehension, restraint, securement, and deportation of any persons identified as members of TdA through the Alien Enemies Act.

I fully support measures to deport dangerous and illegal migrants, which is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of American citizens, and the protection of our homeland. At the same time, I remain deeply committed to upholding the Constitution, ensuring that we preserve the principles of checks and balances that are vital to the functioning of our democracy.

Again, thank you for sharing your perspective with me; I hope that you will continue to do so in the future. If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of my staff.

For more information, please visit my website at www.scott.senate.gov and subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter. I also encourage you to follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorTimScott and Twitter: www.twitter.com/SenatorTimScott for daily updates.

Sincerely,

Tim Scott United States Senator

This communication is being sent via e-mail in order to save taxpayer dollars. If you would like a written letter, please notify our office. The information contained herein is intended for the use of the individual or entity named above. Please do not tamper with or alter this communication in any way.

Lindsey Graham’s Response

I’m sure this is a canned response, measured. But it is not a canned response that was absolutely irrelevant to my email.

I look forward to read what he has to say. It wasn’t some canned response irrelevant to my email.

Lindsey Graham’s Response

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you.

In spite of the high volume of mail I receive daily, I look forward to reviewing your correspondence and providing a response as soon as possible.

As we continue our work in the 119th Congress, I look forward to supporting our men and women in uniform, assisting our veterans, repairing our economy and creating jobs, lowering the tax burden on American families, and making the federal government more accountable and efficient.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance to you or your family, and if you need immediate assistance, please call my office at 202-224-5972. If your correspondence pertains to a scheduling request, please fax your request to (202) 224-3808.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Graham

Reference Links

To Do: Links to Jerome Powell Links to Kilmar Abrego Garcia

An Open Letter to My Trumpian Legislators From South Carolina