Path 2

Wednesday, May 17 2017

American Bridge, 90+ Groups Demand Independent Trump/Russia Commission

May 17, 2017

American Bridge is one of more than 90 organizations signing a letter demanding that Congress and the Department of Justice create an independent, bipartisan commission and appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Donald Trump and Russia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2017

Contact: Robyn Shapiro, [email protected]202.800.7407

Brian Stewart | [email protected]

Investigate Trump/Russia: 90+ Leading Veterans, Faith, and Social Justice Organizations and Influencers Demand Special Prosecutor, Independent Commission

Following continued news about Trump’s ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice, a broad coalition representing tens of millions of Americans joins together; signers include VoteVets, Common Cause, MoveOn.org, Public Citizen, Alec Baldwin, Chris Evans, Sally Field, and Zoe Saldana.

Washington, DC — As questions around Donald Trump’s ties to Russia and potential obstruction of justice grow, more than 90 national organizations representing tens of millions of Americans are joining leading influencers today in demanding Congress and U.S. Deputy General Rod Rosenstein create an independent, bipartisan commission and appoint a special prosecutor, respectively, to investigate ties between Trump, his associates, and Russia.

See the full letter online here.

The new letter comes after The New York Times reported on Tuesday that FBI Director James Comey, who Trump fired last week, documented in a memo that Trump had asked him directly to drop investigations into former national security advisor Mike Flynn’s ties to Russia during an Oval Office meeting. Trump later fired Comey, then admitting in a television interview that the Russia investigation was “on his mind” in doing so, contradicting official statements made by the Trump White House.

The latest news raises additional serious questions about whether Donald Trump was obstructing justice, an impeachable offense, and what Trump is hiding.

A truly independent special prosecutor and independent, bipartisan commission are necessary and crucial to get the full truth about Trump and his campaign’s ties to Russian interference in the election, Trump’s business dealings with Russia, and Trump’s possible attempts to obstruct the current investigation.

The letter was sent today to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and members of the Senate and House Intelligence and Judiciary committees.

Building on the rapidly growing chorus of concerned citizens, organizations, law enforcement personnel, veterans, elected officials, and others calling for a special prosecutor and independent commission, the letter notes the importance of the two non-executive branches of government checking the power of the executive branch and ensuring the rule of law is upheld.

The letter states, in part: “We are deeply concerned by the apparent obstruction of justice in the timing and manner in which Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. It has since come to light that, just earlier in the week, Director Comey had requested more resources to conduct a more intensive and robust investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Furthermore, Director Comey had increased his own involvement in the probe by getting daily briefings about it for the past few months, instead of weekly briefings.”

As the letter notes, it is the unanimous opinion of our nation’s top intelligence agencies that Russian actors interfered with the 2016 presidential election, and there is evidence indicating the Trump campaign may have colluded with the Russian government. Getting to the bottom of this should not be a partisan issue.

The letter notes that there is precedent for the appointment of a special prosecutor and an independent investigation, and concludes, “We ask that you put country before party to ensure that the integrity and well-being of our nation and its people remain your top priority, as they should.”

“It is absolutely crucial, for the integrity of the Republic and the very Constitution that every elected official swore to uphold, that we begin truly independent investigations into Russia’s influence on the election, and possible collusion with the Trump team,” said Will Fischer, Iraq War Veteran and Director of Government Relations for VoteVets. “This is not about party, it is about country. When my fellow veterans and I put on the uniform, we did our duty, regardless of whether we voted for the President, or supported the President politically. We’re asking politicians of both parties to do the same, now.”

Full list of individuals and organizations signed on to the letter is here:

Organizations:

350.org

ACCESS of WNY, Inc.

ACLU

Alliance for Justice

American Bridge 21st Century

American Civil Liberties Union

American Family Voices

Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)

ART NOT WAR

Artists for Peace and Justice

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles

Beaconfire RED

Becker Digital Strategies

Bend the Arc Jewish Action

Better Georgia

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

Civic Hall

Common Cause

Common Defense

Council on American-Islamic Relations

Courage Campaign

CPD Action

CREDO

Democracy for America

Democracy Spring

Democrats.com

Demos

EMILY’s List

End Citizens United

Equality New York

Every Voice

Food and Water Watch

Free Press Action Fund

Free Speech For People

Friends of the Earth – US

Global Exchange

Greenpeace US

Indivisible

Keystone Progress

MAYDAY America

Micah Institute

MomsRising

MoveOn.org

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Partnership for Women & Families

NextGen Climate

Not An Alternative

People Demanding Action

People For the American Way

Progress Virginia

ProgressNow

Public Citizen

Revolving Door Project

The Sierra Club

Stand Up America

State Innovation Exchange (SIX)

The Shalom Center

UltraViolet

UltraViolet Action

VoteVets

We Stand United

Win Without War

Women’s Action for New Directions

Working Families Party

 

Individuals:
Alec Baldwin

Dustin Lance Black

Bruce Cohen

Jackie Cruz

Alan Cumming

Lee Daniels

Melissa Etheridge

Chris Evans

Sally Field

Jane Fonda

Josh Gad

Dede Gardner

Donna Gigliotti

Diane Guerrero

Paul Haggis

Rashida Jones

TR Knight

Patti Lupone

Michael Mayer

Julianne Moore

Michael Moore

Kathy Najimy

Mark Ruffalo

David O. Russell

Zoe Saldana

Fisher Stevens

Marisa Tomei

Audrey Wells

 


Published: May 17, 2017

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