Dear MoveOn member,
After the blockbuster impeachment testimony by Gordon Sondland, Fiona Hill, and the other witnesses in the House, John Bolton's lawyer released a statement saying that his client could speak to "many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed."1
As Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Bolton was privy to a lot. And now he's volunteering to testify in Trump's Senate impeachment trial.
But Mitch McConnell is trying to move forward with a blatantly rigged trial with no witnesses, not even Bolton or other officials closest to Trump such as Mick Mulvaney.
Imagine you are called for jury duty, but when you arrive, you are informed that you must decide on the defendant's guilt or innocence without hearing from a single witness in the case. That is precisely the kangaroo court system that McConnell is attempting to create for Trump's impeachment trial.
We cannot let that happen.
Which is why, on Tuesday, MoveOn and our partners at Daily Kos and Need to Impeach began running mobile billboards (billboards on the sides of trucks that can be driven around to different locations for maximum visibility) in six different states with Republican senators most likely to break away from McConnell and call for a fair trial as well as in McConnell's home state of Kentucky. The billboards got tons of attention, with television and press coverage in places like Maine, Arizona, and Colorado.
But our funding for the billboards ran out yesterday—and since we do not yet know when a vote will take place, we desperately need your help to continue this tactic to keep the pressure up until McConnell calls a vote.
Although conviction requires a two-thirds majority, a vote on the rules that govern the impeachment trial requires only 51 votes, meaning only four Republicans need to have the moral courage to stand up and demand that, just like any other trial conducted in the United States legal system, witnesses must be called and questioned in Trump's impeachment.
And if we can finally hear from crucial direct witnesses to Trump's crimes, like Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Bolton, it will make it much, much more difficult for anyone in the Senate to vote to acquit Trump.
We need only four Republicans, and Senator Lisa Murkowski has already hinted that she may be breaking away, expressing public concerns about McConnell's approach. Which opens the door for Senators Cory Gardner, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Martha McSally, Mitt Romney, and others who do not want to be seen as blind proponents of Trump's corruption.
Our billboards were running through McConnell's home state of Kentucky plus Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, and Utah, but they went dark last night.
Please click here to chip in $3 and keep them up and running as long as it takes.
Ever since Mitch McConnell became the Senate majority leader, he has behaved like the villain in a comic book.
He does not even attempt to hide the fact that no matter how reasonable, how bipartisan, or how good for the country it is, he will block any legislation proposed by Democrats.
He relishes the fact that he has turned the Senate into a graveyard where bills go to die.
And he will use any dirty trick in the book to protect Trump and hold on to power.
It is up to us to show him that he won't get away with it, just as we did when he tried to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Help us show Mitch that his power over Republicans in the Senate is not absolute and that he cannot keep Trump from facing the consequences of his actions.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Anne, Brian, Corinne, and the rest of the team
Source:
1. "What Does John Bolton Want?" The New Yorker, January 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115652?t=5&akid=254621%2E40999114%2EXotzgE
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Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
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