Conspiracy Theorist and Accused Plagiarist Monica Crowley Unfit as Treasury Spokesperson
President Trump’s decision to appoint a long-time Fox News commentator as spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury Department raises serious questions about whether the public would get accurate information about the economy and taxes from her, or misinformation and lies about the Administration’s policies.
Monica Crowley, the 17th former Fox employee slated to join the Administration, has a history of trafficking in false conspiracy theories. She backed out of an earlier White House appointment over charges she plagiarized portions of her 2012 book and her doctoral dissertation.
Crowley has denounced journalists and journalism as “dishonest, hostile, biased, rude fake news.”
“Policymakers and the public need confidence that they are getting the truth about the fiscal and tax policies of the Administration and the U.S. Treasury,” said Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “But Fox News and their contributors, including Ms. Crowley, don’t have a high regard for basic facts. She is a major promoter of Trump’s phony and failed trickle-down policies. As a spokesperson for the Treasury Department, she lacks integrity and will be unable to generate the trust the job requires.”
Trump announced that he intends to nominate Crowley to be assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs. The position does not require Senate confirmation.
In her written commentaries, Crowley credits Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy for “Job creation, wage growth, historically low unemployment among blacks, Hispanics and young people, surging consumer confidence and 4 per cent plus GDP growth,” a sweeping endorsement largely disputed by recent analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
The Treasury Department manages federal revenue, collects all federal taxes through the IRS, and advises Congress and the President on matters of fiscal policy.
“Having a former Fox News commentator as the face of the U.S. Treasury is an almost comical case of the Fox guarding the henhouse,” Clemente said. “It will further erode public trust in our government because she’s clearly not qualified as a spokesperson for the Treasury.”
Contact
Dennis Bailey
Director of Communications
Americans for Tax Fairness
dbailey@americansfortaxfairness.org
202.733-3444