WASHINGTON — Three Democratic congressmen unveiled legislation Friday to rename a federal prison in Miami after former President Donald Trump.
The bill — offered by Reps. Gerry Connolly, of Virginia; Jared Moskowitz, of Florida; and John Garamendi, of California — comes in response to a measure introduced by a group of House Republicans to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after Trump.
The Democrats’ bill would rename the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida the “Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.”
“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 in a statement. “I hope our Republican friends will join us in bestowing upon Donald J. Trump the only honor he truly deserves.”
Trump is facing multiple federal criminal charges in Florida for allegedly mishandling sensitive government, including willful retention of national defense information, false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record and corruptly concealing a document. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a new trial date in that case.
Trump is also facing state criminal charges in New York, where he’s been accused of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential election. He’s pleaded not guilty in that case, which is scheduled to begin jury selection on April 15.
The former president has been charged with illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia state court and in federal court in Washington, D.C. Trial dates have not been set in either case, and the D.C. case is on hold pending resolution of Trump’s appeal that he’s protected by presidential immunity. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on that appeal on April 25. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
“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.”
The bill to rename Dulles after Trump was filed last Friday. It was sponsored by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., the chief deputy majority whip, and co-sponsored by six other Republicans: Reps. Michael Waltz, of Florida; Andrew Ogles, of Tennessee; Chuck Fleischmann, of Tennessee; Paul Gosar, of Arizona; Barry Moore, of Alabama; and Troy Nehls, of Texas.
Reschenthaler tweeted about the effort earlier this week. “Freedom. Prosperity. Strength. That’s what America stood for under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump — the best president of my lifetime,” Reschenthaler wrote in a post on X. “And that’s why I’m introducing legislation to rename Dulles as the Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
The airport, opened in 1962, is named after John Foster Dulles, who served as secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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