Trump Puts Himself Above The Constitution By Forcing White House Staff To Sign NDAs

Trump forced senior White House staff to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) that violate the constitution and put loyalty to Trump above public service.

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Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post wrote:

I haven’t been able to lay hands on the final agreement, but I do have a copy of a draft, and it is a doozy. It would expose violators to penalties of $10 million, payable to the federal government, for each and any unauthorized revelation of “confidential” information, defined as “all nonpublic information I learn of or gain access to in the course of my official duties in the service of the United States Government on White House staff,” including “communications . . . with members of the press” and “with employees of federal, state, and local governments.” The $10 million figure, I suspect, was watered down in the final version, because the people to whom I have spoken do not remember that jaw-dropping sum.

It would prohibit revelation of this confidential information in any form — including, get this, “the publication of works of fiction that contain any mention of the operations of the White House, federal agencies, foreign governments, or other entities interacting with the United States Government that is based on confidential information.”

The Trump NDA is not enforceable

The Trump NDA for White House staff is not enforceable because White House staff do not work for the president. White House staff work for the federal government. Trump does not have the power to implement a non-disclosure agreement on employees of the federal government because it is a violation of their First Amendment rights. Any former senior Trump White House staffer is free to say whatever they want.

Trump thinks so little of the constitution, and frankly, most Americans would be surprised if he knew anything about it, that he would public employees sign an NDA that loyalty to Trump over their duty to the American people.

Donald Trump went beyond thinking that he is above the constitution, to placing himself above the constitution.

America doesn’t have a president. They have dime store despot taking up space in the Oval Office.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association