U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, hasn’t denounced President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial appointment of Steve Bannon but said she is committed to creating an inclusive nation.
“I won’t be afraid to stand up and actively oppose any proposal that would exclude, discriminate against or harm some Americans to the benefit of others,” the congresswoman wrote in a letter on Friday.
Bannon, a Breitbart News executive whom many have labeled a white supremacist, was named chief strategist and senior counselor to the president-elect. Democrats have called on Trump to rescind his job offer.
Vancouver resident Jacob Marsh was concerned about Bannon’s background and reached out to Herrera Beutler.
“I hoped that as a representative of a diverse community, Congresswoman Herrera Beutler would speak out against this divisive message from the incoming administration. However, I was disappointed that she is choosing to side with the establishment instead of sticking to her values and the values of SW Washington,” Marsh wrote in an email.
Herrera Beutler noted in her letter that each president has the duty to appoint any individual he pleases.
“Soon we will be able to judge the quality of the new president’s team based on the quality of work they produce,” Herrera Beutler wrote. “My hope is for the new president to be as successful as possible in his efforts to serve the best interest of this country.”
Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley has called on Trump to rescind Bannon’s job offer and noted “a wave of verbal and physical assaults” that have taken place since the election, according to reporting by Politico.
“We call on president-elect Trump to exclude the proponents of discrimination and hatred from the ranks of his administration, and that includes immediately firing Steve Bannon as his chief strategist,” Merkley was quoted as saying in Politico.
