A Democratic lawmaker introduced legislation Monday to specifically require that all of the president’s social media posts be archived, following an unusual typo from President Donald Trump.
The COVFEFE Act, which stands for Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement Act of 2017 and is named after Trump’s May 31 tweet featuring that strange word, would update the laws requiring the White House to archive all presidential communications.
“In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets,” Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley said in a press release.
“President Trump’s frequent, unfiltered use of his personal Twitter account as a means of official communication is unprecedented,” Quigley said. “If the President is going to take to social media to make sudden public policy proclamations, we must ensure that these statements are documented and preserved for future reference. Tweets are powerful, and the President must be held accountable for every post.”
The law already requires the White House to record documents and correspondence whether “in analog, digital, or any other form.” Quigley’s bill would include the term “social media” as one mode of presidential communication the White House must preserve.
Trump’s cryptic, unclear tweet posted just after midnight May 31 said, “Despite the negative press covfefe” and nothing else, leading to confusion on social media. The tweet was deleted several hours later.
The White House claims that it does archive all of Trump’s tweets, according to the National Archives and Records Administration.
WATCH REPORTERS TRY TO SAY ‘COVFEFE’
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