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To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Lordy, we need an independent commission!
We urge Congress to immediately create a bipartisan, independent, 911-like commission to investigate foreign meddling in our elections, and also to advance election integrity security protections so this never, ever happens again. It's time for Congress to defend the fabric of our democracy, and insure that the blessings of liberty promised by our democracy remain intact for our children and for generations to come.
Why is this important?
In his June 8 appearance in front of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, former FBI Director James Comey confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 general election, and described how Donald Trump tried to undermine the FBI’s investigation of that interference. [1]
President Trump tried to impede the FBI’s investigation of a foreign attack on our free elections by firing James Comey, even when he should have been carrying out his Constitutional duty as Commander in Chief to investigate and challenge the perpetrator, Russia. With so many members of Trump's campaign team found to have ties with Russia, including his first national security advisor Michael Flynn and even his son-in-law Jared Kushner, [2] suspicions abound of possible Trump collusion with Russia to win the Presidency.
If the current occupants of the White House, including President Trump, did collude with a hostile foreign power to harm the integrity of our free elections for political gain, we need to know. We need to know in order to take steps to make sure it never happens again. We need to know in order to defend the glorious but fragile experiment that is American democracy, which rests on the confidence that our elections are free, uncorrupted, and reflect the will of the American people.
If President Trump or close members of his team colluded (with his knowledge) with Russia, it could qualify as “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors” [3] and serve as grounds for his impeachment and possible removal from office. But evidence is needed.
Meanwhile, Congress, lead by the President’s own party, has shown little to no will to hold Trump accountable, even in defense of our democratic institutions from Russia.
We need an independent, bipartisan commission, created by congressional legislation, that has the mandate to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the 2016 Presidential election, including any and all Russian interference, as well as to provide strategies to make sure we are protected from this type of disastrous situation in the future. The commission would also be the most likely agent to turn up the evidence needed for the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Help us demand that Congress appoint a bipartisan, independent, 911-like commission now.
[1] “Full text: James Comey testimony transcript on Trump and Russia,” Politico, June 8, 2017.
[2] “Here’s what we know so far about Team Trump’s ties to Russian interests,” The Washington Post, June 6, 2017.
[3] “Trump Should Worry: Comey Memo Describes a High Crime,” Bloomberg, May 17, 2017.
President Trump tried to impede the FBI’s investigation of a foreign attack on our free elections by firing James Comey, even when he should have been carrying out his Constitutional duty as Commander in Chief to investigate and challenge the perpetrator, Russia. With so many members of Trump's campaign team found to have ties with Russia, including his first national security advisor Michael Flynn and even his son-in-law Jared Kushner, [2] suspicions abound of possible Trump collusion with Russia to win the Presidency.
If the current occupants of the White House, including President Trump, did collude with a hostile foreign power to harm the integrity of our free elections for political gain, we need to know. We need to know in order to take steps to make sure it never happens again. We need to know in order to defend the glorious but fragile experiment that is American democracy, which rests on the confidence that our elections are free, uncorrupted, and reflect the will of the American people.
If President Trump or close members of his team colluded (with his knowledge) with Russia, it could qualify as “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors” [3] and serve as grounds for his impeachment and possible removal from office. But evidence is needed.
Meanwhile, Congress, lead by the President’s own party, has shown little to no will to hold Trump accountable, even in defense of our democratic institutions from Russia.
We need an independent, bipartisan commission, created by congressional legislation, that has the mandate to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the 2016 Presidential election, including any and all Russian interference, as well as to provide strategies to make sure we are protected from this type of disastrous situation in the future. The commission would also be the most likely agent to turn up the evidence needed for the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Help us demand that Congress appoint a bipartisan, independent, 911-like commission now.
[1] “Full text: James Comey testimony transcript on Trump and Russia,” Politico, June 8, 2017.
[2] “Here’s what we know so far about Team Trump’s ties to Russian interests,” The Washington Post, June 6, 2017.
[3] “Trump Should Worry: Comey Memo Describes a High Crime,” Bloomberg, May 17, 2017.