- The Washington Times - Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Seattle’s only Socialist council member is using government resources to promote an anti-Trump event on Inauguration Day.

Kshama Sawant wrote a letter Seattle residents as 2016 came to a close that urged them to resist “right-wing anti-worker bigot” President-elect Donald Trump. A 10-paragraph screed against the billionaire ends with a link to “Resist Trump: Occupy Inauguration — Seattle!” on Facebook. Nearly 9,000 people have seen the event and 3,000 have committed to attend.

“Thank you for making 2016 a year to remember. When we fight, we win!” the Dec. 31 letter reads. “We cannot, as Hillary Clinton suggested, ’give Trump a chance,’ or as Obama said, believe that ’Trump’s success is our success.’ It is true that Trump does not have the mandate of the majority of Americans. But his election has emboldened the right wing, and we cannot be complacent. History demands that we immediately begin building mass peaceful resistance to Trump’s anti-worker, misogynist, anti-immigrant, and racist agenda.”

The Daily Caller, which first reported the letter Wednesday, said its content is unequivocally the use of “taxpayer resources to organize anti-Trump protests sponsored by a radical socialist organization that brags about its ties to global Marxists.”

Ms. Sawant’s missive to Seattle residents ends with “see you again in January for a re-energized struggle for social justice!”

“Occupy Inauguration” will take place Jan. 20 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. PST.

Some of the activists’ additional goals are to promote Black Lives Matter, decry “rape culture,” and advocate for “free” college education.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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