Donald Trump volunteers are signing a lifelong contract never to criticize him

Sign up to volunteer for Donald Trump’s campaign, and you might be giving up more than you bargained for.

Earlier this week, reporters began poring over the 2,271-word nondisclosure agreement that Trump’s campaign requires its volunteers sign. The forms are extraordinarily broad, virtually prohibiting any volunteers from criticizing Trump or his family for the rest of their lifetimes, according to Rachel Sklar, a lawyer who has also written for and appeared on CNN.

On Twitter, Sklar noted that the forms also bar volunteers from criticizing Trump’s brands, disclosing anything personal about Trump (including his taxes), or from even employing people who work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. (That last one’s illegal, Sklar says.)

In case you were wondering if this was standard campaign practice, the answer seems to be no. (The restrictions on Trump volunteers was reported first by The Daily Dot in March, though the new agreement now also applies to online volunteers.)

Writing for Cincinnati.com, reporter Jeremy Fugleberg notes:

But requiring an online volunteer to sign such a document is a requirement unique to the Trump campaign. The campaign website for his rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, requires no agreement for online volunteers to sign up and make phone calls.

"It’s not a typical procedure," said Matt Moore, chairman of the GOP in South Carolina, where campaigns had volunteers making similar calls from their homes ahead of the primary in February. Moore also oversees phone bank operations as the state seeks to elect its candidates in legislative races.

Correction: Rachel Sklar is not an official CNN contributor.

Donald Trump hates lies, but can't tell the truth

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