Dear MoveOn member,
Ambassador Gordon Sondland, a Donald Trump supporter who gave $1 million to Trump's inauguration, testified under oath last week that "yes," there was a quid pro quo and that "everyone was in the loop."1
"Everyone" includes Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and other senior members of the Trump administration.
"We followed the President's orders," Sondland testified.2
Case closed.
Sondland's testimony was devastating to Trump and should be the nail in the coffin of his presidency. Which is why GOP operatives have launched the "most expansive, coordinated ad campaign on impeachment to date," an eye-popping $7 million campaign slamming impeachment as a political plot against the president by Democrats.3 Trump is also spending "a small fortune on impeachment ads."4
This is the moment, John. We have to put the pedal to the metal to get the truth out to the American people and counteract the lies and misinformation coming from the GOP propaganda machine.
That's why I'm writing to you. I've been following MoveOn's impeachment campaign closely, and it appears that while MoveOn's raised enough to do the most critical organizing and media outreach to move impeachment forward, MoveOn's budget is stretched to its limits.
The bottom line? MoveOn's team is having to make hard choices right now about just how much campaigning they can do—and what they have to skip doing—just as we urgently need MoveOn to ramp up its efforts after Congress returns from its Thanksgiving recess.
Will you join me and chip in $3 a week to support MoveOn's all-hands-on-deck campaign to impeach, convict, and remove Donald Trump from office? (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.
Trump and GOP operatives don't have to make hard choices. They're spending tens of millions of dollars given to them by millionaires and billionaires to spread lies and misinformation.
So how do we turn this around? It starts with our grassroots power. We've got to show lawmakers and the media just how many people are engaged in the fight to impeach Trump. And to do that, MoveOn needs resources. Because it costs money to:
While we can win this fight without raising and spending as much as Trump and his enablers do, we do have to raise enough to help engage Americans all around the country. The good news is that if everyone receiving this email pitched in just $1 a week, MoveOn would raise more than enough to compete head-to-head with Trump.
But not everyone even opened this email. Fewer still have read this far. And not everyone reading today can afford to pitch in even a little.
Which is why, John, if you can afford to, I hope you'll dig deep and chip in $3 a week to help fund MoveOn's impeachment work, so that we can go big 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 for as long as it takes.
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
And I hope that you'll stay in this fight, even though it's hard and upsetting.
Remember, things won't be this hard forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. And if we fight for it, and work for it, and give this everything we've got, we can reach that light sooner.
Thanks for all you do.
–Robert Reich
Sources:
1. "'Everyone was in the loop.' Sondland confirms quid pro quo," PBS NewsHour, November 20, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/113286?t=6&akid=251715%2E40999114%2ErRqS_T
2. "'We Followed the President's Orders': Gordon Sondland's Testimony Likely Assures Trump's Impeachment," The New Yorker, November 20, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/113287?t=8&akid=251715%2E40999114%2ErRqS_T
3. "POLITICO Playbook: House GOP group spending millions to beat up Democrats on impeachment," Politico, November 18, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/113288?t=10&akid=251715%2E40999114%2ErRqS_T
4. "How Trump is using Facebook to amplify his fight against impeachment," Vox, November 14, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/113289?t=12&akid=251715%2E40999114%2ErRqS_T
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. You're recieving this email because you took action with MoveOn. MoveOn is where millions mobilize for a better society—one where everyone can thrive. MoveOn members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future. We envision a world marked by equality, sustainability, justice, and love. And we mobilize together to achieve it. MoveOn members are a force for social justice and political progress. We come from all 50 states and all walks of life. Together, we are at once large and nimble, targeting our resources purposefully, yet pivoting quickly as we identify new opportunities for change and mobilize to seize them. Our rapid-response organizing and campaigning, communications interventions, digital innovation, rigorous data science and testing, and culture of grassroots participation have repeatedly combined to produce real-world impact, changing outcomes and making our country better. This email was sent to John xxxxxx on November 30, 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.