To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Petition to Force Trump to Faithfully Execute the Law on Russian Sanctions
Section 231 of The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which passed the House 417-5, required sanctions to be imposed on January 29 on all those transacting with Russia's intelligence service to punish Russia for meddling in the 2016 elections and deter future intervention. The Trump administration ignored this law, neither imposing the required sanctions nor making a public finding that Russia was reducing its cyber intrusions, which could justify a waiver under the law. We demand that Congress tell President Trump that it will begin impeachment proceedings against him if he does not levy the sanctions called for in the legislation within thirty days. It is not acceptable to allow Trump to ignore the law and to encourage future Russian intervention in our elections.
Why is this important?
Russia intervened in our election in 2016 through attempts to hack voting rolls, social media aimed at swing voters, and theft of Hillary Clinton emails. The sanctions law represented a bipartisan effort to punish Russia for intervening in our elections in order to deter future meddling. President Trump has not taken the law seriously. He neither imposed the sanctions required in the law nor made the findings required for a waiver in public.
Given the President's possible interest in encouraging continued Russian intervention to benefit himself and his allies in future elections, the normal process of cajoling compliance has little chance of success. Congress needs to threaten impeachment in order to secure compliance with a law designed to protect American elections. Furthermore, if Trump will not carry out the law and insists on protecting Russia from sanctions, he must be impeached for the safety of the Republic. We will not have a rule of law if the President defies acts of Congress and invites the Russians to rig our elections.
David M. Driesen
Given the President's possible interest in encouraging continued Russian intervention to benefit himself and his allies in future elections, the normal process of cajoling compliance has little chance of success. Congress needs to threaten impeachment in order to secure compliance with a law designed to protect American elections. Furthermore, if Trump will not carry out the law and insists on protecting Russia from sanctions, he must be impeached for the safety of the Republic. We will not have a rule of law if the President defies acts of Congress and invites the Russians to rig our elections.
David M. Driesen