ICYMI: “Morning Joe” Joins Chorus of Voices Calling for Government Accountability in the Wake of Yesterday’s Congressional Hearing on the Family Separation Crisis
Calls for Accountability come after ad buy from Equity Forward demanding HHS chief Alex Azar be held accountable for role in man-made crisis
8.01.18 – Earlier today, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough called for more transparency from and oversight of agencies complicit in administering and executing the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane “zero tolerance policy” which resulted in thousands of children being ripped from their families.
Specifically, Scarborough called for more oversight of complicit agencies, which include Health and Human Services (HHS), after yesterday’s hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggesting Congress withhold appropriations until more answers become available as to how the policy was implemented and the status of the children who remain separated from their families.
These calls for accountability come just over a week after Equity Forward launched a seven-figure campaign to hold HHS Chief Alex Azar accountable for his role in the family separation crisis. The centerpiece of the campaign is a TV ad, “Disgrace,” which was released via a heavy six-figure ad buy in the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland metro area.
Additionally, in May 2018, Equity Forward filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to learn more about the “tent cities”’ HHS started planning for weeks before the crisis hit full peak, what ORR Director Scott Lloyd has been doing during the crisis and whether ORR grantees are asking potential sponsors about their religious observations. Thus far, Equity Forward has not received any substantive responses to these requests, and is exploring all available options to obtain the information, including further litigation.
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