"House of Cards" showrunner urges complaint calls to Trump's new D.C. hotel
Donald Trump’s unexpected transformation from business mogul to next leader of the free world may sound like an episode right out of House of Cards, but it’s a political reality that has the creator of the Netflix series writing a new script.
Beau Willlimon, showrunner of the American adapted TV series, urged his Twitter followers to bring attention to Mr. Trump’s conflicts of interests by inundating his newly opened hotel in the nation’s capital with phone calls.
Call Trump Hotel in DC to ask when Trump will sell to remove conflict of interest. Phone number & script here: https://t.co/VsdxJEf8U6
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) December 21, 2016
In the Tweet, he includes a link to a Google document, which includes a step-by-step guide on how to call and what to say:
1. Call 202.695.1100
2. When reception answers: “Hello, I’m interested in staying at your hotel but feel uncomfortable doing so while there is a conflict of interest with the incoming administration. Can you please tell me when the Trump Organization plans to sell the hotel?”
3. If Reception says something like, “I don’t know,” or “I’m sorry, we don’t have that information,” ask if you can speak to a Manager. If they refuse to put you through to a manager, ask if they will connect you to someone at the Trump Organization in New York who has this information.
4. If they connect you to a Manager or to the Trump Organization (highly unlikely), repeat the question in in number 2.
5. Do not hang up. Keep trying until they hang up on you.
Finally, remember to be POLITE. Don’t bully or use foul language. The folks at reception are just doing their jobs. It’s not their fault that Trump is profiting from conflicts of interest. The goal is to have enough incoming calls that the message gets kicked up to their bosses, and eventually reaches the press and Trump himself.
Not everyone is experiencing success, or responding well to Willimon’s call to the masses, though.
@BeauWillimon @AGirlCalledD I called, transferred to angry woman said she's blocking my #. I called back. Said transfer to mgr. they hung up
— Marshall Stern (@marshallzen) December 21, 2016
@BeauWillimon Thanks - done - got through to Patricia Tang -- she stated that she was blocking my number -- will repeat
— K M Brucks (@k_brucks) December 21, 2016
@BeauWillimon great bother some phone attendant who's doing her job. God, the left is annoying
— Ken Young (@NowInExile) December 21, 2016
CBS News has attempted to contact the hotel but has not received a response.
Trump’s downtown Washington hotel has come under scrutiny over its contract with the government. A group of House Democrats divulged the details of a briefing they had in early December with the Michael Gelberg, the deputy commissioner of the General Services Agency, the government entity that leased the building to Mr. Trump. Gelberg allegedly told a four House Dems that Mr. Trump would be in breach of his leasing contract as soon as he takes office on Jan. 20, unless he divests all financial interests, including managerial control and ownership.
After Gelberg briefed Democratic lawmakers, GSA released a statement saying, “[it] does not have a position that the lease provision requires the President-elect to divest of his financial interests.” It also clarified that no determination would be completed until Mr. Trump finalizes his business arrangements and he assumes the presidency.
But that’s not stopping Willimon from using his celebrity status to build opposition to Mr. Trump. He launched a political organization called the Action Group Network after Election Day to create a network of like-minded people who are passionate about progressive issues. He admitted in a recent radio interview with KPCC radio’s “The Frame” that he probably wouldn’t have become so politically motivated had Hillary Clinton won.
“Maybe if there’s a silver lining as to what happened a little over a month ago, it just opened the eyes for a lot of people to see how much they needed to get involved,” Willimon said. “People are motivated to get involved, it’s about tapping into that energy, facilitating and organizing on the ground in a way that progressives have not in the past decades.”