|
Dear Friend,
News just broke that a transcript of a book written by John Bolton directly implicates Donald Trump in the Ukraine quid pro quo.
Bolton, Trump’s right-wing former national security advisor, has said he would testify in Trump’s impeachment trial—but Mitch McConnell has refused to allow Bolton or any other witnesses to testify.1
But now even Republican senators are starting to crack. We only need four Republicans to split from Trump and vote to require witnesses, and Mitt Romney just said that after this bombshell, it’s “increasingly likely” that it will happen.
Momentum is on our side, but we don’t have much time. Trump and McConnell are pushing to end the Senate trial by the end of this week with no witnesses.
Trump has insisted over and over that there was “no quid pro quo” with Ukraine. But according to reports, Bolton’s book says that’s exactly what happened.
He writes that Trump personally said that $391 million in security aid for Ukraine would be frozen until Ukraine launched an investigation into Joe Biden.2
No wonder Trump is trying to prevent Bolton from testifying.3
Bolton’s testimony could lay out the evidence that proves Trump’s abuse of office, the first charge in the impeachment trial. The Senate should also hear from Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and other White House insiders regarding the second charge, obstruction of Congress.4
Polls show that the vast majority of the public—including 69 percent of Republicans—want to hear from Bolton and other witnesses.5 And numerous Republican senators have said they’re willing to “consider” witnesses, but none have confirmed their votes.6
Still, without grassroots pressure, Mitch McConnell could end the trial without a single person with firsthand knowledge of Trump’s crimes testifying.7
We MUST do everything possible to demand a fair trial before the Senate votes Thursday on whether to call witnesses. With your help, we'll push calls to the Senate and mobilize constituents to keep reminding vulnerable Republicans that most of us, including their own voters, want to hear from witnesses before the trial concludes.
We may have just three days to convince the Senate to call witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial. Will you rush an emergency donation to help turn up the pressure now?
Thanks for standing with us.
Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress
Sources:
1. BBC News, "Calls grow for Bolton impeachment testimony," January 27, 2020
2. Ibid
3. Politico, "How the fight over Trump's executive privilege could play out," January 27, 2020
4. Ibid
5. Reuters, "Let them speak: Most Americans want witnesses in Trump impeachment trial - Reuters/Ipsos poll," January 22, 2020
6. NBC News, "Romney, Collins say Bolton revelations strengthen case for witnesses, make them increasingly likely," January 27, 2020
7. Reuters, "Let them speak: Most Americans want witnesses in Trump impeachment trial - Reuters/Ipsos poll," January 22, 2020
PAID FOR BY DEMAND PROGRESS (DemandProgress.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Facebook or Twitter.
You can unsubscribe from this list at any time.