Hi, John!
Yesterday, the House impeachment managers sent a jolt through the Senate
when they revealed chilling, never-before-seen security footage from
inside the Capitol on January 6.
The terrifying footage—which showed senators mere seconds away from being
overtaken by the bloodthirsty white supremacist mob—has the potential to
be a game-changer and could lead to Donald Trump's conviction.
GOP Senator James Lankford reportedly "shed tears" as he watched the
harrowing footage.^1 Mitt Romney called the videos "overwhelmingly
distressing," and hardline conservative Senator Bill Cassidy called the
case against Trump "very powerful."^2,3
Reporting overnight suggests that these revelations are starting to impact
some Republican senators, and one source says that SEVERAL Republican
senators are seriously considering convicting Trump.^4 Even Mitch
McConnell is not pressuring the GOP to acquit Trump.^5
John, we have a real shot at ridding our country of the
existential threat of Donald Trump and ensuring he's never again able to
run for office—but this is our LAST, BEST chance to do so.
[ [link removed] ]Which is why we're preparing to launch emergency billboards targeting
critical swing senators, including Mitt Romney and Rob Portman. But we
urgently need your help to keep this campaign going full steam ahead. Will
you rush a [ [link removed] ]$3 donation right now?
Below, you can read our message from yesterday for more details about the
work MoveOn is doing to call for Trump's conviction.
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Dear MoveOn member,
The start of Donald Trump's second impeachment trial went so badly that
Donald Trump reportedly screamed at his television.^6
House impeachment managers presented the beginning of an open-and-shut
case—and Trump's lawyers responded with such rambling nonsense that even
Trump's biggest defenders said they had "no idea" what his lawyers were
doing.^7
Then something really surprising and really bad for Trump happened:
Conservative Republican Senator Bill Cassidy actually changed his mind and
voted to let the impeachment trial go forward.
If one Republican can change his mind, then others can too. A bipartisan
vote to convict Trump will send a message down through history and to
every aspiring Trump-style authoritarian from Ted Cruz to Josh Hawley to
Marjorie Taylor Greene that they will not get away with attacking our
democracy.
The next 72 hours will be crucial, as House impeachment managers present
the evidence and Trump's legal team is forced to defend the
indefensible. We're keeping the pressure on Senate Republicans by running
mobile billboards in Washington, D.C, and we want to expand our billboard
campaign to the states, pressuring Republican senators most likely to vote
to convict to listen to the evidence and do the right thing. Will you chip
in $3?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $3 to help fund billboards to call on
the Senate to convict Trump.
House impeachment manager Jamie Raskin opened yesterday's hearing with an
argument that was so powerful that Trump's own lawyers admitted that it
caused them to change their opening arguments and left Trump screaming at
his television.^8
Then, Trump's lawyers were so bad that the main constitutional law
professor they relied on said that his legal analysis was "the opposite"
of what Trump's legal team claimed.^9
The rest of this trial might not go any better for Trump either, because
the evidence is overwhelming: Trump incited a violent insurrection in an
attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election.
For months, he pushed the lie that he won the election "by a landslide"
but that it was stolen. He made one false claim after another about
election fraud. Then, on January 6, he urged a white nationalist mob to
attack the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of the election, leading
to the deaths of five people and the injuring of hundreds of others.
If that's not an impeachable offense, then what is?
Every senator is not only a juror but a witness, and the ruling they hand
down will echo down through history. If they vote to acquit, the message
is that any future president can incite a violent coup d'etat to stay in
power and get away with it.
There are clear signs that Republicans are feeling the pressure. In
Trump's first impeachment, not one House Republican voted for impeachment.
The second time, 10 did.
In his first impeachment, one Republican voted to convict. Today, six
Republicans voted to move forward with the trial, rejecting the main
defense argument that it is unconstitutional to convict a president after
leaving office.
It's crucial that we keep the pressure on now. Not with threats of
violence or intimidation, but with the power of our arguments. It costs
thousands of dollars to run a single billboard for a day, and the next 72
hours will be critical. Will you chip in $3 to expand our
billboard campaign pressuring Republican senators to convict Trump for his
role in the January 6 insurrection?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll donate [ [link removed] ]$3 right now.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Thad, Erica, Lisa, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Shocking trial video opens Jan. 6 wounds for lawmakers," Politico,
February 10, 2021
[link removed]
2. Ibid.
3. "Trump on path to acquittal despite stunning evidence,"
Politico, February 10, 2021
[link removed]
4. Ibid.
5. "McConnell not pressuring GOP to acquit Trump," The Hill, February 11,
2021
[link removed]
6. "Trump was 'borderline screaming' and 'deeply unhappy' over his defense
lawyers' performance at his impeachment trial, report says," Insider,
February 9, 2021
[link removed]
7. "Dershowitz slams Trump attorney: 'Have no idea what he's doing,'" The
Hill, February 9, 2021
[link removed]
8. "Trump was 'borderline screaming' and 'deeply unhappy' over his defense
lawyers' performance at his impeachment trial, report says," Insider,
February 9, 2021
[link removed]
9. "'I Said The Opposite': Criticism Of Trump's Impeachment Defense
Intensifies," NPR, February 9, 2021
[link removed]
Want to support our work? With our nation ravaged by the pandemic and the
cruelty and incompetence of the Trump administration, we need to take bold
action to contain the spread of the virus, speed up the delivery of
vaccines, and deliver real economic relief to families across the country.
MoveOn is prepared to launch a massive, nationwide campaign to ensure
Congress acts swiftly to deliver more emergency checks, extend
unemployment benefits, ramp up our nation's vaccination program, and more.
But we need your help.
Will you chip in to our campaign to ensure Congress acts boldly to
overcome the pandemic and build back our economy?
[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
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