100 signatures reached
To: Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the rest of Congress
Congresspeople- Join Rep. Bennie Thompson's lawsuit vs Trump
Rep. Bennie Thompson is a long-term Congressman from Mississippi, who heads up the House Homeland Security Committee. Represented by the NAACP, hIs lawsuit alleges that Mr. Trump, Giuliani and the far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers conspired to incite the attack of Jan 6th 2021. The lawsuit accuses them of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which prohibits two or more people from conspiring to "prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat" any office-holder from performing their duties. Although this is a civil suit, it opens the door to criminal prosecution under the Act.
This lawsuit is especially important, since the Senate has blocked the investigation of the insurrection and attempted coup on Jan 6th, which was intended Congress from certifying Biden's election, and keep Trump in power for another 4 years.
All members of the House and Senate were threatened by the insurrection, and all were prevented from performing their duty; they should all join the suit as plaintiffs. As of April 7th, 2021, ten more Members of Congress have joined. They are: Karen Bass (D-CA); Steve Cohen (D-TN); Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ); Veronica Escobar (D-TX); Hank Johnson, Jr. (D-GA); Marcy Kaptur (D-OH); Barbara Lee (D-CA); Jerrold Nadler (D-NY); Pramila Jayapal (D-WA); and Maxine Waters (D-CA).
Please thank them, if you are in their district. If not, please ask you senators and representatives to sign on as plaintiffs.
Why is this important?
The Ku Klux Klan Act was passed in order to prevent White supremacists post-Civil War from harassing or even lynching newly elected Black officials. While the White supremacists of 2021 did not target Black officials specifically, their agenda was to maintain a racist demagogue, Trump, in power, even though he clearly lost the election.
Bennie Thompson's lawsuit is now being heard in the US District Court in Washington DC. The defendants- Trump, Guiliani and the Proud Boys have all asked that it be dismissed. Trump claims that he had "absolute immunity" because he was still in office, Guiliani says he was just using rhetoric, and the Proud Boys claim that individual legislators have no standing. They are all trying to evade consequences for the upheaval they planned and executed.
Derrick Johnson, NAACP President, puts it this way:
“If you try to move forward without holding people accountable, you only set yourself up [for] future activity that could possibly be successful in toppling our democracy. For African Americans, we see a long history of people not being held accountable ... and if we don't hold people accountable, there becomes this entitlement that it's OK to cause harm and violate the law.”
Trump has now become the Republican kingmaker, with the goal of installing White supremacists in power in the 2022 Congress, and throughout the states. All GOP candidates for office now seek Trump’s stamp of approval.
His alt-right backers are increasingly radical and willing to use violence. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/03/16/after-the-insurrection-americas-far-right-groups-get-more-extreme/
The GOP has become a white supremacy party, racist, and anti-immigrant. It is a cult, built around a powerful man who believes he is destined to rule America.
Rep. Thompson’s civil suit alleges trauma and seeks punitive damages. Witnesses can be subpoenaed. It will look into every aspect of planning, execution, and lack of prompt response to the insurrection of Jan 6th.
The Ku Klux Klan Act makes it a Federal crime to take part in a seditious conspiracy. Therefore, the evidence that comes to light during this litigation can be used in criminal prosecutions of the defendants named in the civil suit.
This lawsuit is a powerful tool to discredit Trump and his followers. It also may bankrupt them. The more Congresspeople join the suit, the more publicity it will get, the more damages the defendants will have to shell out, and the more likely it will be that white supremacy will be marginalized.
Please call or write your Congresspeople and ask them to join Rep. Bennie Thompson’s lawsuit.
You can find your Representative’s contact info at
https://www.house.gov/representatives
and your Senators at
https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact
And please spread this petition to everyone you know.
https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/congresspeople-join-rep-bennie-thompson-s-lawsuit-vs-trump/
Peace, Carol Wolman