Obama Lawyers Create Group for Oversight of Trump Administration

UPD lawyer and former White House associate counsel Ian Bassin stated that newly established the non-profit organization United to Protect Democracy (UPD) may serve as a platform for government employees who are worried about ethics violations within the White House.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Former President Barack Obama's lawyers have established the non-profit organization United to Protect Democracy (UPD) to serve as ethical and legal watchdog for the actions of the US government, UPD lawyer and former White House associate counsel Ian Bassin said in an interview on Thursday.

"As people who had the privilege of serving at the highest level of our government, we understand those guardrails, where people might come up against them and what the tools are that we have as private citizens to hold our government accountable," Bassin told Politico.

United to Protect Democracy, named after an expression in Obama's farewell address, has already raised $1.5 million and hired five staffers. The watchdog intends to double the number in the coming weeks, according to media reports.

Bassin explained that UPD may serve as a platform for government employees who are worried about ethics violations within the White House.

UPD has already filed 50 Freedom of Information Act requests, with the intention to obtain documents from the government and potentially file lawsuits.