BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump has just been criminally charged by the Manhattan District Attorney for his $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. He could be arrested – or turn himself in – any day now.
This is a huge step in holding Trump accountable for his crimes. But John, if Trump has shown us anything these past years, it’s that he’ll do whatever he can to avoid these charges – no matter the cost to our democracy.
You and I both believe that nobody is above the law, including former President Trump. But unfortunately, MAGA loyalists now believe that Trump shouldn't have to obey the laws everybody else does.
That's the only way to interpret their response to this news – from the House GOP attempting to launch an investigation to discredit the Manhattan District Attorney [1], to Trump himself calling for his supporters to protest his indictment. [2]
Their plan is clear: ramp up the pressure, including abusing the U.S. House’s investigative powers, in order to help Trump evade prosecution. I urgently need your help to ensure they can’t get away with it.
John, the silver lining is that we’re exactly the right people to hold Trump accountable. It was, after all, Common Cause that alerted authorities that this hush money payment was likely illegal back in 2018. And it’s the very laws about transparency and ethics in politics that Common Cause has spent over 50 years strengthening that Trump has been charged with breaking.
This is the first time a former U.S. president has ever been charged with a crime – a shameful milestone for our nation.
But given Trump’s repeated, brazen wrongdoing – and his insistence that the rules that apply to everyone else don’t apply to him – the costs of inaction are too great to bear. If we let Trump get away with this illegal payoff, it’ll send a loud and clear message to his political cronies that there are no consequences for their actions.
John, I’m truly worried about the ripple effects of Trump getting away with ignoring our campaign finance laws. We’ll see more copycats of Trump, from people who believe they’re above the law to politicians putting wealthy donors and Big Money interests over the people – all while the American people are left to foot the bill for their corruption.
That’s why our dedicated team of experts are already pulling out all the stops to hold Trump accountable. They’re working around the clock to push back on Trump’s disinformation campaigns and are doing everything possible to uphold our democracy and the rule of law
But John, we have our work cut out for us. Even before Trump was officially charged, he and his disinformation machine have been working to undermine the investigation. He’s planning a smear campaign against the Manhattan DA’s office – with allies plotting a widespread pressure campaign over this indictment. We need to be prepared for anything.
If you agree that Trump is not above the law, will you rush an emergency contribution of $3 or more today and hold him accountable for his crimes?
With your support, we can send a loud and clear message that nobody, including Donald Trump and his cronies, is above the law. Are you with us, John?
Marilyn Carpinteyro, Interim Co-President
and the team at Common Cause
[1] cnn.com/2023/03/20/politics/house-republicans-letter-manhattan-district-attorney/index.html
[2] nytimes.com/2023/03/20/us/politics/trump-protests-indictment-gop.html
