First they did it with Energy Department employees working on climate change, and now they’re doing it with the State Department’s programs to advance the rights of women and girls. Yesterday, the Trump transition team sent a request to the State Department demanding that it give over all information related to “gender-related staffing, programming, and funding.”
The Washington Post, which obtained a copy of it, reports the request didn’t directly ask for the names of officials working on these issues—as an earlier request sent to the Energy Department did—but asked that the department “note positions whose primary functions are to promote such issues.” Maybe because asking for someone’s job title is just far enough removed from asking for their name? ONE WONDERS.
“It’s not clear to us what the intent is behind this request,” a State Department official told the Post. “The Trump team could be looking to advance gender issues and make it a priority — or you could look at it as a witch hunt.”
Given his propensity towards condemning and spreading lies about entire swaths of the population—and that Donald Trump’s idea of respecting women is taking joy in sexual assault—I’m leaning towards the latter.
The transition team asked for information on all programs that “promote gender equality, such as ending gender-based violence, promoting women’s participation in economic and political spheres, entrepreneurship, etc.”
The irony of an avowed sexual predator asking for information on violence against women is just… almost too much to comprehend. Even worse is knowing that advocating for the rights of women and girls was a major priority during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State—one that had been carried on by President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Secretary of State John Kerry.