
Wilbur Ross lied to incorporate citizenship question in census
A 2017 memorandum seems to show that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross lied under oath to Congress by claiming that it was the Justice Department that had…
MORE IN THIS SECTION
Cuba controls the fire
August 10th, 2022Colombia without Fracking?
August 10th, 2022Judge arrested in Ecuador
August 10th, 2022Pressure for Castillo
August 10th, 2022Takeover blocked
August 10th, 2022Maduro to meet with Petro
August 9th, 2022UN Action in Costa Rica
August 9th, 2022Duque to the Wilson Center
August 9th, 2022It has not yet been a year and the measure of the government to incorporate the question of citizenship in the census seems to already be a forgotten issue.
During March, the Department of Commerce announced that it would reincorporate the question of citizenship in the 2020 census for the first time in decades, which many have interpreted as "a weapon for vote suppression" and another strategy to persecute the immigrant community in the country.
However, not everyone remained idle at the government’s decision.
Barbara Underwood, the Attorney General of New York, began a legal procedure a few months ago to reverse the incorporation of the question, arguing that questioning citizenship "could be costly and would affect the count of the census."
But Underwood's latest discovery is even more serious.
RELATED CONTENT
According to a memorandum addressed to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and introduced in a lawsuit on Monday, the DOJ "initially opposed" the incorporation of the question of citizenship in the Census 2020, which undoubtedly contradicts Ross' testimony before Congress when he said that "the question had been incorporated for DOJ purposes," Talking Points Memo reported.
Given the finding, Underwood has requested that Ross be deposed as part of the lawsuit.
During his testimony, the Secretary of Commerce assured that the incorporation of the question "would help the DOJ to enforce the Voting Rights Law," but the evidence shows that the department "wanted to avoid monkeying around with the census because of the ‘whole Comey matter,’” Court House News reported.
The communication between Ross' deputy, Earl Comstock, and the DOJ demonstrate the department's reluctance to enter into new conflicts with the press, which would show that Ross could have lied under oath before Congress.
"This is astonishing, unprecedented conduct by a cabinet member," Underwood wrote in a 5-page letter. "It has consequences not for some minor or ministerial matter, but for the accuracy of the decennial census - which the secretary agrees will affect the 'foundational elements of our democracy.'"
LEAVE A COMMENT:
Join the discussion! Leave a comment.