WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives voted Thursday to force through a resolution that would compel the Department of Justice to publicly release the Naughty List.
Public pressure to unseal the documents had been building for months in the wake of the death of Kris Kringle in his prison cell, which was officially ruled a suicide despite widespread suspicion of foul play. Congressional Democrats have been publishing images of Kringle’s North Pole resort in the days preceding the vote, leading to questions about who may be listed in the sleigh flight logs.
“It’s long past time to show the public these papers,” said Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA). “Americans deserve to find out who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.”
The bill is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump, who had previously called the list a ‘Democrat hoax’. The Trump administration has spent considerable energy downplaying the importance of the Naughty List, stoking speculation that the President might be implicated in naughtiness.
Trump’s signature will grant Congress the power to pore over and publicly release the Naughty List and any related evidence, possibly including pictures of underage elves with implicated naughty individuals, and records of visits to Kringle’s private North Pole island. The President is also reportedly considering a pardon of Mrs. Claus, who is in state custody awaiting Congress’ call to testify under oath about the contents of the list.
The long delay before signing the bill has led some to worry that the Trump administration could doctor the list, either by redacting names of political allies or preventing Democrats from checking it twice. With the documents set to be unsealed in the coming days, Senate Democrats have seized on the opportunity to issue a message to the nation’s naughty.
“For too long, powerful people have been allowed to shout, cry and pout from the shadows with no accountability to the American people,” Schiff warned. “It is time for the people on this list to know, we see you when you’re sleeping and we know when you’re awake.”