Democrats draw up plans to “clean up” the government after Trump

Washington — Democratic members of the House of Representatives are writing bills to limit the president’s emergency powers, lawyers are drafting strategies to insulate the Department of Justice from presidential influence, and a measure in the House would bar the president from unilaterally remodelling the White House, according to reporting by the Washington Post, summarised by Political Wire.

Ethics experts are also writing rules to prevent future first families from personally profiting from the presidential office.

According to the newspaper, across Washington and beyond, opponents of President Donald Trump are rushing to ensure that, once he leaves office, the changes he has imposed on the presidency — and on the country — fade along with him.

The initiative comes on the eve of the 3 November midterm elections, where Democrats hope to win a majority in Congress in order to turn these plans into law.

Democrats have long criticised Trump for expanding presidential powers and for using public resources for personal purposes — criticisms that are expected to be at the centre of their election campaign.