Rudhdi Karnik, rudhdi.karnik@sierraclub.org, 202-495-3055
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, Donald Trump issued a “religious liberty” Executive Order which would override decades of precedent to permit religious organizations to participate in the political system, including contributing financially, while maintaining its tax exempt status, overriding the notion of the separation of church and state that our nation was founded upon.
In response, Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“It’s incredulous that Donald Trump, who has tried and failed not once but twice to institute a Muslim Ban, would call for religious tolerance and freedom. Trump claims this order will defend the Constitution, but in reality, this, like most of his presidency, is an attack on it. Rather than maintain the separation of Church and State, Trump wants to merge the two to open up the spigot to let more and more anonymous money flow into our political system. That means this Executive Order poses a clear threat to the principle of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”