Reader's View: Email from Stauber failed to address issues

I received an email from Rep. Pete Stauber on Jan. 24. After glowing about the honor of watching Donald Trump become president again, he gloated about Trump’s executive order concerning immigration. “With the Stroke of a Pen, America is More Secure,” the congressman wrote.

What my representative failed to mention were some of the other executive orders Trump signed that were more than questionable.

I would think, since Stauber is a retired police officer, he would stand with the 140 officers injured during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Alas, his email was silent on this in apparent endorsement of Trump pardoning 1,500 insurrectionists who tried to overturn the 2020 election. Stauber appears to lack empathy for the injured and dead police officers from four years ago.

Trump’s pardoning of the Capitol rioters shouldn’t have come as a surprise since he promised to do so during his campaign. Even the Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump and then expressed shock that he would pardon convicted rioters. Rest assured, Trump doesn’t hate all police; he appeared to admire a fellow convicted felon since he egregiously granted clemency to an officer convicted of murder .

Maybe Stauber will also find comfort in another “stroke of a pen” by Trump. Funding for the Blatnik Bridge now seems uncertain . Stauber derided the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as socialism and even voted against the legislation that’s providing funding for the Blatnik replacement. Stauber was quoted by the News Tribune as “confident” the funding will not be denied now. But Minnesota voted against Trump — why would Trump provide funding to a blue state?

Stauber invited me to a teletown hall on Jan. 22. I wanted to ask about Trump‘s cuts to prescription drugs , but he only seemed interested in answering questions from far-right constituents.

James N. Bragge

Carlton