Democrats introduce bill to name Florida prison after Trump
(The Hill) — A trio of House Democrats introduced legislation to rename a Miami prison after former President Donald Trump.
Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) introduced legislation Friday to change the name of the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida to “Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.”
“Donald J. Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted, with 88 offenses in four criminal cases to date. MAGA Republicans have proven themselves unwilling to solve real problems that face our country,” Garamendi said in a news release accompanying the announcement.
“I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to our former president, Donald J. Trump, than renaming the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago in his honor.”
The bill comes in response to a measure introduced by a group of Republicans earlier to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after the former President.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), who sponsored the bill to rename the airport, said “there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing ‘Welcome to Trump International Airport’ as they land on American soil.”
Changing the name of the federal prison after the former president would be a “more fitting option,” Connolly said in the news release.
“When our Republican colleagues introduced their bill to rename Dulles after Donald Trump, I said the more fitting option would be to rename a federal prison,” Connolly said.
“I see no reason to wait. Donald Trump faces nearly 100 felony charges,” he continued. “He has been found liable of sexual abuse and, subsequently, for defaming the victim of that abuse. He has been fined hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud case. It is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name.”
The former president faces 88 criminal charges across four indictments.
Trump faces charges in Florida alleging he mishandled classified records and attempted to obstruct the government’s retrieval of the records after he left the White House in 2021.
The former president faces charges of election interference in Georgia and in a D.C. federal court. He also faces charges in a New York hush money case alleging he falsified business records.
“Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings, Moskowitz said. “But he’s never had his name on a federal building before and as a public servant I just want to help the former president. Help us make that dream a reality.”