White House temporarily shuts down petition site

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The White House petition site "We the People" where citizens voice their concerns was temporarily shut down on Monday.

The Trump administration said the platform, launched in 2011 by the Obama administration, will be removed at midnight Tuesday and return in late January as a new site.

A White House official said the decision will save taxpayers 1.3 million U.S. dollars annually.

The official also said all existing petitions and responses will be preserved.

Petitions that attract 100,000 signatures will trigger a White House response. The Trump administration hasn't responded to any of over a dozen petitions that have reached that threshold since the president took office early this year.

Among those are petitions urging President Donald Trump to release his tax returns and to place his assets in a blind trust. Enditem