Dear MoveOn member,
Rachel Maddow reminds us that "impeachments are unpredictable." Bombshell evidence dropped "out of the sky" during Richard Nixon's impeachment, forcing Nixon to resign.1
Donald Trump is now the third president of the United States impeached by the House of Representatives. We all know that there's more evidence of Trump's transgressions that has yet to be made public. And new polling shows support for Trump's conviction is skyrocketing.2
The impeachment fight is far from over. But with the process now moving to the Senate, we have to face facts: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has no intention of running a serious trial. He's ruled out calling witnesses and openly said that he plans to work with Trump's own lawyers to guarantee acquittal.3
The only way that we'll get a fair trial in the Senate is if Republican senators choose to uphold their constitutional duty. Will you chip in $3 a week to support MoveOn's all-hands-on-deck campaign to pressure senators to do exactly that in 2020? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
Yes, I'll chip in weekly to help keep MoveOn's impeachment campaign going in 2020.
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
McConnell knows that the evidence of Trump's high crimes and misdemeanors is overwhelming and that the true facts of the case aren't really even contested. Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to bribe its president into intervening in our election and helping him win re-election. Then, he obstructed Congress' efforts to investigate.
More than 700 respected historians signed an open letter saying that "President Trump's numerous and flagrant abuses of power are precisely what the framers had in mind as grounds for impeaching and removing a president."4 More than 500 legal scholars signed a similar letter saying that "his conduct is precisely the type of threat to our democracy that the Founders feared when they included the remedy of impeachment in the Constitution."5
Under oath, even Trump's biggest allies admitted that he blatantly sought a quid pro quo, trading official acts for political favors. And we still haven't heard from the White House officials closest to the Ukraine scandal, like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney.
That's why McConnell knows that his only hope for saving Trump is to make sure that there are no witnesses and no real trial.
But here's McConnell's big problem: If just four Republican senators vote to require witnesses, then his plan for a sham trial goes out the window. Trump loyalists will go on Fox News and lie all day. But under oath, everything changes. Look at how Gordon Sondland changed his tune under oath. The same thing will happen with other witnesses—if we can get just four Republicans to uphold their basic oath of office and vote for a real trial.
That won't be easy, and that's why we're asking you to chip in $3 a week to help fund MoveOn's impeachment work, so that we can go big in 2020 and leave no stone unturned. Are you in? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
Yes, I'll chip in weekly to help keep MoveOn's impeachment campaign going in 2020.
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
If we can raise the resources to sustain our campaign, here's what we'll do with it:
- Expand our billboard campaign to build public support for impeachment. MoveOn needs your help to buy billboards in the districts of on-the-fence Republicans. Our billboards will very visibly help get the truth out about the extent of Trump's crimes—and that Republicans are STILL are defending Trump, even as more and more damning evidence is exposed.
- Fully fund our team of organizers on the ground in key states. We've recruited and trained an incredible team of organizers in the key states with senators most likely to support a real trial, but we don't yet have the funding we need to pay their salaries through a full Senate trial. This is an absolute must.
- Take on Trump's lies directly online and on TV. We don't need to counter the millions of dollars that Trump and his enablers are spending to spread lies and misinformation dollar-for-dollar—because the people are on our side. But we do need to have substantial resources to reach the activists who are ready to get involved to tell the truth and give them opportunities to act, such as protesting, calling Congress, and showing up at their lawmakers' offices.
- Expand our bird-dogging operations in Washington, D.C. For months, MoveOn has been following lawmakers and asking them a simple question: Is it OK for a foreign government to interfere in our elections? Now, we must bring that pressure to on-the-fence Senate Republicans. Wherever they run and hide, we must find them. And when they try to wiggle out of answering our question, we must make sure their constituents know about it.
Mar, our democracy is under attack. History is watching. The House impeached. Now, the Senate must remove. Will you chip in $3 a week to help finish the job and end Trump's criminal presidency? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
Yes, I'll chip in weekly to help keep MoveOn's impeachment campaign going for as long as it takes.
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Emma, Robert, Mary, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Pam Bondi and Trump Foundation. TRANSCRIPT: 12/13/19, The Rachel Maddow Show," The Rachel Maddow Show, December 13, 2019
http://act.moveon.org/go/114891?t=8&akid=253831%2E10220574%2EyUoSKw
2. "Public support for Trump conviction at all-time high, poll finds," Yahoo News, December 26, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/115496?t=10&akid=253831%2E10220574%2EyUoSKw
3. "McConnell indicates he'll let Trump's lawyers dictate Trump's impeachment trial," The Washington Post, December 13, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/114892?t=12&akid=253831%2E10220574%2EyUoSKw
4. "More than 700 historians call for Trump to be impeached as key vote looms," The Guardian, December 17, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/114893?t=14&akid=253831%2E10220574%2EyUoSKw
5. "Letter to Congress from Legal Scholars," Medium, December 6, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/114894?t=16&akid=253831%2E10220574%2EyUoSKw
How do weekly donations to MoveOn work? When you sign up to make a weekly donation to help with MoveOn's impeachment work, your weekly contribution will be billed to your credit card once a month, starting today and repeating on the same day of every month going forward. To determine your monthly contribution amount, we will multiply the weekly amount of your donation by 4.34—the average number of weeks per month. We will contact you by email when Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation. You can also cancel or modify your recurring donation at any time. If you decrease or cancel your weekly donation partway through the month and would like to request a refund, please contact us at contrib_problem@moveon.org.
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. This email was sent to Mar Alfaro on December 31, 2019. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. If you'd like to receive less frequent emails from MoveOn, you can click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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