John—The vote on whether to hear from witnesses in Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial is just days away, but right now there's not a single ad on TV putting pressure on wavering Republican senators to break from Mitch McConnell to insist on a fair trial.
We've been working all weekend to change that. A record number of MoveOn members have now chipped in so that we can run hard-hitting TV ads in the states with Republican senators who are most likely to break from McConnell.
For more details on this campaign, see our recent email below:
Dear MoveOn member,
Tomorrow is day six of the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump, and there's not a single ad on TV right now putting pressure on the Republican senators most likely to break with Mitch McConnell to force witnesses to be called and for the White House to hand over documents related to the Ukraine scandal.1
Yet a new poll shows that about 72% of Americans agree that the trial "should allow witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the impeachment charges to testify," including 69% of Republicans.2 Yes, 69% of Republicans agree! Rachel Maddow called the results "stunning."3
It would take only four Republican senators to join with the Democrats to turn McConnell's kangaroo court into a fair trial that can uncover the full extent of Trump's transgressions.
We urgently need to turn up the heat, John. There are 11 impeachment ads running on TV right now, and all 11 support Trump. There's not a single ad targeting Republican senators to demand a fair trial and hold Trump accountable, causing Chuck Todd of "Meet the Press" to ask, "Why aren't Democrats making life miserable for vulnerable Republicans on impeachment?"4
MoveOn's Creative Lab, which has created powerful ads seen by millions of Americans, has swung into action to produce hard-hitting ads and start to get them up on TV in the states with senators we can influence, after a record number of MoveOn members chipped in over the last three days. But it's very expensive to run TV ads, and we're still $150,000 short.
The second article of Trump's impeachment is for obstructing Congress: covering up witnesses and withholding documents from the American people.
Trump has blocked his closest aides from testifying and has refused to hand over a single document—a single email, text message, letter, phone transcript ... any document—related to the Ukraine scandal.
All 53 Republican senators actively participated in the cover-up last Tuesday night, voting 10 separate times to block subpoenas for Trump administration witnesses and documents, and to otherwise rig the trial rules.5
Trump bragged about it, saying, "[H]onestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material."6
But McConnell was forced to agree to a Senate vote on whether to hear from witnesses after the opening arguments and senators' questions—which means that we have a narrow window of time to increase pressure on the Republican senators who have been wavering.
We have organizers on the ground in the states of key senators and are lighting up the Senate switchboard with phone calls, but it's not enough. We still need to raise $150,000 by Monday to get our hard-hitting impeachment ads up on TV in the key states. And we need your help to do it.
Will you rush an urgent donation of $3 to help us run hard-hitting impeachment ads on TV in key states?
Together, we can hold Trump accountable. But it's going to take each and every one of us.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Ann, Schuyler, Isbah, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Why aren't Democrats making life miserable for vulnerable Republicans on impeachment?" NBC News, January 21, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115838?t=5&akid=255638%2E40999114%2EaX0lEB
2. "Let them speak: Most Americans want witnesses in Trump impeachment trial - Reuters/Ipsos poll," Reuters, January 22, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115839?t=7&akid=255638%2E40999114%2EaX0lEB
3. "Impeachment trial may be headed for a classification showdown," The Rachel Maddow Show, January 22, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115840?t=9&akid=255638%2E40999114%2EaX0lEB
4. "Why aren't Democrats making life miserable for vulnerable Republicans on impeachment?" NBC News, January 21, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115838?t=11&akid=255638%2E40999114%2EaX0lEB
5. "After Republican senators block new impeachment evidence, Trump boasts about what he's withholding," The Washington Post, January 22, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115841?t=13&akid=255638%2E40999114%2EaX0lEB
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. You're receiving 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 January 27, 2020. 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.