John,

In a recent op-ed, Laurence Tribe, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor Emeritus of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate President Trump’s involvement in the January 6th insurrection with a stark warning for the future of our democracy:

“Any president or attorney general who failed to pursue with unrelenting zeal the mission of uncovering and holding perpetrators accountable for crimes...would be lethally endangering the very survival of the American experiment in self-government.”

Sign the petition: Attorney General Garland must establish an independent Department of Justice task force to investigate all potential federal crimes committed by Trump and his associates.

The ongoing Congressional investigation shows just how valid Professor Tribe’s concerns are. Since starting its investigation in July, the House’s January 6th Committee has faced resistance from those who gave aid and comfort to the insurrection. When the Committee subpoenaed phone records from Republican lawmakers involved in the seditious attack on the Capitol, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened retaliation against the telecom companies. McCarthy went one step further, arguing that the Justice Department already cleared Trump of any involvement in the January 6th insurrection. Then, just hours before their deadline, the Committee received thousands of pages of documents from phone and social media companies, as well as executive branch agencies.

The resistance to this Committee’s work further demonstrates why it is critical that the Department of Justice launch a criminal investigation into all federal crimes Trump and his associates committed in connection with the insurrection -- an investigation which only the DOJ can conduct.

As Professor Tribe says, “Trump’s apparent crimes, which he and his supporters openly insist were patriotic acts that they would gladly repeat, have the potential to leave him in power indefinitely. The only antidote is vigorous investigation and prosecution, not for purposes of retribution but for purposes of deterrence.”

For the future of our democracy, the Department of Justice must do its job and uphold the rule of law.

Sign the petition: The Department of Justice must investigate Trump and his associates all potential federal crimes they have committed.

In solidarity,
Free Speech For People