Dear MoveOn member,
MoveOn has raised almost enough to launch our ambitious plan to take over
the front page of The Washington Post with hard-hitting ads calling on
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from a case that
could determine whether Donald Trump may be criminally prosecuted for his
crimes.
This takeover is critical—and very timely—because on April 25, the Supreme
Court will hear oral arguments in one of the most consequential cases in
American history.^1 The court will decide whether Trump—who is facing
dozens of felony charges—is immune from criminal prosecution.^2 And Thomas
has a clear conflict of interest in this case.^3
To take over all of the ads on the front page of The Washington Post and
call on Thomas to recuse himself, MoveOn needs to raise $25,000 by this
Friday—just 72 hours away. With oral arguments in the Trump case set to
begin at the Supreme Court on April 25, time is running out.
[ [link removed] ]Will you rush a $9 donation right now to call on Thomas
to recuse himself from deciding whether Trump can be criminally
prosecuted?
As special counsel Jack Smith argues in his papers before the Supreme
Court, "[A] bedrock principle of our constitutional order is that no
person is above the law including the president."^4
If the Supreme Court rules the wrong way, it'll become an important legal
precedent. That means other courts will make decisions in cases with
similar issues based on how the Supreme Court has ruled. Precedents can
last decades—or even hundreds of years. And what will happen if the
Supreme Court issues a decision declaring that Trump is immune from
prosecution? Our country will be at risk of future dictators,
authoritarians, and strongman presidents.
We already know that Trump has fascist tendencies. He will be further
emboldened if the Supreme Court rules that he was above the law while in
office.
What could a Supreme Court decision in Trump's favor bring?
* More threats of violence to gain power. As former Labor Secretary
Robert Reich recently wrote, "Hitler and Mussolini relied on their
vigilante militias to intimidate voters and local officials. We
watched Trump try to do the same in 2020. Even before he incited the
attack on the U.S. Capitol, he said on national television: 'Proud
Boys, stand back and stand by.' Now, Trump is vilifying his political
opponents as 'vermin' who needed to be 'rooted out.' He shows an image
of Biden hog-tied."^5 All of this happened without a ruling stating
Trump is above the law. But if this goes the wrong way, it could be
far, far worse.
* Credible threats of jailing the opposition. As Trump recently said,
"If I happen to be president and I see somebody who's doing well and
beating me very badly, I say, 'Go down and indict them.' They'd be out
of business."^6
* Extralegal attempts to take over institutions. Trump's Project 2025
would gut the civil service, replacing career government with MAGA
loyalists.^7 That's without a ruling that Trump can violate the law
whenever he wants for personal gain. If he prevails, he will bend the
government to his personal ends. He will violate the law with no
consequences if he manages to either win the election or lose a close
election and steal his way back into office by refusing to accept the
result.^8
We've got to stop Trump's fascist takeover of American institutions. We
must do everything possible to prevent a Supreme Court ruling that Trump
is above the law.
[ [link removed] ]Will you pitch in $9 right now and help MoveOn raise the
additional $25,000 needed to take over the ads on the front page of The
Washington Post? We have to demand that Thomas recuse himself from hearing
Trump's case.
Let's be absolutely clear: Thomas is unfit to rule in this case. He has an
obvious conflict of interest because his wife, Ginni Thomas, actively
participated in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, and it is
specifically Trump's charges related to election interference that are at
the center of this Supreme Court case.^9
If Thomas and the Trump-packed Supreme Court declare that Trump is immune
from criminal prosecution, it would effectively insulate Ginni Thomas from
scrutiny about her role in Trump's election interference efforts.^10
If enough MoveOn members pitch in, we'll take over the ads on the front
page of The Washington Post to demand that Thomas recuse himself. We've
almost reached our fundraising goal, but not quite. Because MoveOn isn't
backed by billionaire funders as Thomas and Trump are, we need you with
us, John.
[ [link removed] ]Click here to pitch in $9 and help launch MoveOn's
Washington Post front-page takeover.
Time is running out, and this will be our last email about this takeover
campaign. That's why your support in this moment is so crucial.
With your help, we will ensure that millions of people see our ads in The
Washington Post calling on Thomas to recuse himself from the Trump case.
Thanks for all you do.
–Mohammad, Alexis, Isbah, Eric, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "US Supreme Court sets April 25 Trump criminal immunity argument,"
Reuters, March 6, 2024
[link removed]
2. "Clarence Thomas's conflict is clear — he must recuse himself from the
Trump immunity case," The Hill, March 4, 2024
[link removed]
3. "Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts
to overturn the 2020 election, texts show," The Washington Post, March 24,
2022
[link removed]
4. "Trump 'not above the law': Special Counsel to SCOTUS," Reuters, April
9, 2024, emphasis added
[link removed]
5. "Trump's 5-Step Fascist Plan," Substack post by Robert Reich, April 1,
2024
[link removed]
6. "Trump says on Univision he could weaponize FBI, DOJ against his
enemies," The Washington Post, November 10, 2023
[link removed]
7. "A guide to Project 2025, the extreme right-wing agenda for the next
Republican administration," Media Matters for America, March 20, 2024
[link removed]
8. "Trump won't commit to accepting 2024 election results," The Hill, May
10, 2023
[link removed]
9. "Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts
to overturn the 2020 election, texts show," The Washington Post, March 24,
2022
[link removed]
10. "Clarence Thomas's conflict is clear — he must recuse himself from the
Trump immunity case," The Hill, March 4, 2024
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced
teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their
shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back,
including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right
has banned and driving it to key cities and towns to raise the visibility
of book bans, hand out banned books for free, and bring people together to
stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA
politicians who support them, we need your help.
Will you make a gift to power MoveOn's critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in.
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