As lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of former President Trump, Dan helped expose how Trump abused his power for his personal benefit. Unfortunately, this was just one of many times that Trump abused the power of his office and undermined our democratic values, traditions, and guardrails. Trump flouted long-standing precedents, norms, and laws and his administration exposed significant weaknesses in our democratic institutions. He sought to enrich himself, protect himself and his family from legal exposure, and put our country and our elections at risk through his corruption. 

 

Donald Trump was not the first and will not be the last president to test the strength of our democracy. That is why we must pass new laws that will safeguard our democracy against abusive and corrupt leaders who do not adhere to their oath of office. One such law is the Protecting Our Democracy Act – which Dan helped draft while he worked in Congress – to prevent presidential abuses of power, restore oversight powers to Congress, and protect whistleblowers and Inspectors General. 

 

Congress must also increase transparency, improve trust in our institutions, bolster the rule of law, and codify norms and practices that were abused during the Trump administration. Congress’s role as a co-equal branch of government must also be strengthened, and both the intelligence community and the Department of Justice must be de-politicized.  

 

Click here to read more about Dan's plans to defend our democracy >>