Warren would investigate Trump appointees for corruption and bribery if she wins US election

‘My transition will move faster than any transition in modern history,’ she said

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Elizabeth Warren has plans to investigate bribery and corruption among members of Donald Trump’s administration if she is elected president, she said.

The Massachusetts senator, said she would create a federal task force within the Justice Department as part of a plan her campaign says will “restore integrity and competence” after Mr Trump.

Writing on Medium on Tuesday, the Democratic presidential hopeful also said she would ask for the resignations of all Mr Trump’s political appointees on her first day in office, including 93 US attorneys.

Only those with “positions necessary to preserve continuity and protect national security during the transition period” would not be asked to resign, she said.

Anti-corruption is the central theme of Ms Warren’s presidential campaign as she digs her heels in less than two weeks before party nomination contests begin in Iowa.

She is one of 12 Democrats fighting for the party’s nomination and is a front-runner alongside former vice president Joe Biden, fellow US senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg.

In her plan, Ms Warren took aim at the “revolving door” of Mr Trump’s administration, noting he has had 28 acting cabinet secretaries in the past three years — more than former presidents Bill Clinton or Barack Obama’s collective eight years in office.

“Of the positions he has filled, Donald Trump has been stacking the government with lobbyists, campaign donors and cronies,” she said.

“The mix of industry insiders and donors has both created turmoil and opened up an opportunity for big businesses to tilt the rules in their favour.

“This government run by and for lobbyists has dismantled workplace safety and environmental rules, health care protections, and dozens of other programmes and regulations that benefit working people.”

Warren’s proposal seeks to provide a blueprint for how to systematically undo Mr Trump’s influence if she wins her party’s nomination and the presidential election in November.

“My transition will move faster than any transition in modern history to identify appointees and develop plans for making change starting on day one,” she continued.

“Unlike previous transitions, we will not be able to assume good faith cooperation on the part of the outgoing administration, and we do not have an outgoing administration that shares even the most basic values.”

She also committed to announcing her Cabinet choices by 1 December and other top nominations by 15 December, and having a full White House staff by inauguration day in January 2021.

Reiterating her pledge not to hire current corporate lobbyists, Ms Warren added that her administration would adhere to strict hiring restrictions to ensure corruption is rooted out.

Additional reporting by agencies