Despite receiving an invitation to meet with President Trump, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have reportedly chosen to decline, per Politico.
Both Trump and the Congressional Black Caucus met in March to discuss issues important to CBC members, yet many in the Caucus felt as if little to no progress has been made since that meeting three months ago and that any subsequent meeting would be merely lip service.
One Democratic aide illustrated the thinking of some in the Congressional Black Caucus saying, “No one wants to be a co-star on the reality show.”
Former “Apprentice” star Omarosa Manigault, serving as the White House’s director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison, sent out the invitation for the follow-up meeting to the 49 members of the caucus. Some members of the CBC, however, have complained that Manigault’s lack of attention to CBC issues, such as criminal justice reform or expanding voting rights, has made her an ineffectual and inappropriate liaison to the caucus.
While the March meeting with Trump included the entire caucus, there is an inherent difficulty in assembling all the members for a single meeting. Additionally, members of the caucus are wary of appearing to support the president, Politico reports. Arguing that the president has done little to advance CBC priorities, many members are concerned that the follow-up meeting would be little more than a photo-op for the White House.
Furthering members’ concerns was a statement made by President Trump concerning the constitutionality of federal funding for Historic Black Colleges and Universities.
“For a president who pledged to reach out to African-Americans and other minorities,” said CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) in a joint statement, “this statement is stunningly careless and divisive.”
An official response to the invitation from Richmond will not likely be released until after the CBC’s weekly meeting and the CBC could not be reached for comment.