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Progressive Groups Release Draft Articles of Impeachment to Capture 'Smorgasbord' of Trump Abuses
"Trump's offenses related to Ukraine are not an aberration—they are the latest examples of him subverting our democracy to advance his own interests."
Nov 12, 2019
As the House Intelligence Committee Monday kicked off the first public hearing in its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, a coalition of progressive groups released draft articles of impeachment they say better capture Trump's "smorgasbord of impeachable offenses."
"Trump's offenses related to Ukraine are not an aberration--they are the latest examples of him subverting our democracy to advance his own interests," said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, executive director of By the People. "If we don't address the full magnitude of criminality, bigotry, and corruption, Trump's abuses of power will become the new normal."
The misconduct at the center of the impeachment inquiry is Trump's alleged use of a quid pro quo by pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to carry out a politically beneficial investigation into the Biden family or see its military aid withheld. A better approach, according to the organizations' "Impeachment for the People," is for lawmakers to carry out an inquiry far broader in scope.
The preamble of the new 24-page document (pdf)--drafted by Free Speech For People and backed by groups including By the People, CREDO Action, and Women's March-- states, "We, the people, deserve an impeachment and removal process that covers the full range of Trump's abuses of power."
The articles fall under six categories:
- Abuse of power to target political adversaries, critics, and the press;
- Corruption of electoral processes;
- Abuse of office to promote discrimination, hostility, and unlawful violence;
- Corruption and self-enrichment;
- Obstruction of the administration of justice and Congressional inquiries;
- and Misuse of armed forces and abuse of emergency powers.
The categories capture alleged offenses including Trump misusing "his official position to promote discrimination, hostility, or unlawful violence on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin"; accepting emoluments from foreign, federal, and state governments; and abusing "emergency powers to build a border wall against Congressional opposition."
The seventh and final point--"omnibus"--is meant to ensure a successful outcome. "The value of an omnibus or 'catch-all' article (most recently used by Congress in 1989) was famously demonstrated in the 1936 impeachment trial of Judge Halstead Ritter, when the Senate failed to assemble a two-thirds majority to convict on any particular article alleging specific misconduct, but reached two-thirds to convict on the omnibus article."
It is only through such a broad scope of inquiry, the groups say, that an impeachment process can
- Defend our democracy and bring us closer to ensuring that its promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness be made real for every person who calls the United States home--no matter their race, gender, sexuality, religion, country of origin, or class;
- Establish that we are a country where all are equal before the law, and set a precedent for what is acceptable by all those who serve in our nation's highest office;
- Protect us, our families, and our communities from this administration's attacks; and
- Deliver a government that fiercely and bravely represents the people, rather than serves political parties or the powerful.
Free Speech For People board chair Ben Clements, in a statement, welcomed the inquiry House Democrats are currently carrying out, noting that the impeachment hearing concerns "Trump's efforts to bribe and extort Ukraine using hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money to leverage foreign assistance in his reelection bid."
"But," he continued, "this brazenly lawless action was the direct result of Congressional failure to hold Trump accountable for the smorgasbord of impeachable offenses he committed to secure the 2016 election and on a daily basis throughout his presidency. Trump's lawless and abusive self-dealing, obstruction, racism, bigotry, incitement to violence, and subversion of the Constitution is well documented and well suited for expedited proceedings in the House."
"If Congress is serious about defending the Constitution and our democracy and restoring the rule of law now and for future presidents," Clements said, "it must address these egregious and dangerous impeachable offenses and it must move efficiently and urgently toward a vote on comprehensive articles of impeachment."
According to Flores-Quilty, lawmakers agreeing to the "Impeachment for the People" would provide "a first step toward achieving a democracy that works for all of us."
"Now, our elected representatives must make a choice," she said, "will they fulfill their constitutional duty by impeaching for the people or will they betray the country by protecting a dangerous and lawless president?"
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As Impeach Trump Momentum Builds, Grassroots Groups Target Undecided Members of Congress
"Every member—Democrat and Republican—needs to remember the oath they took to protect the Constitution, and speak out publicly in favor of a vote to impeach Trump."
Sep 25, 2019
After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally caved to pressure from a growing cohort of Democratic lawmakers and formally launched an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump Tuesday evening, grassroots groups on Wednesday announced new efforts to urge undecided members of Congress to back "impeachment now!"
"We urge every member of Congress to support a public, transparent, and robust inquiry into several of Donald Trump's potentially illegal acts as soon as possible."
--Rahna Epting, MoveOn
At 1 pm on Thursday, "activists backed by 19 progressive groups and House Democrats championing impeachment will gather outside the Capitol to demand that every member of Congress support an immediate impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, and that the House Judiciary committee subsequently move toward a public, unhindered inquiry that moves quickly to a floor vote on Articles of Impeachment," the advocacy organization MoveOn said in a statement.
"Thursday's event is a visible display of the alignment we're seeing between grassroots progressives and the over 200 House members who support moving toward impeachment inquiries," said MoveOn's incoming executive director, Rahna Epting. "It's becoming increasingly clear that Trump has and continues to repeatedly violate the oath and obligations of the office of the president of the United States."
"For the sake of the integrity of our democracy, the question of whether Trump has committed impeachable offenses cannot go unanswered any longer," added Epting. "We urge every member of Congress to support a public, transparent, and robust inquiry into several of Donald Trump's potentially illegal acts as soon as possible."
The rally is also backed by the groups By the People, Center for American Progress Action Fund, CREDO Action, Courage Campaign, Daily Kos, Demand Justice, Democracy for America, End Citizens United Action Fund, Free Speech For People, Hispanic Federation, Indivisible, Kremlin Annex, March For Truth, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, People, For the American Way, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Progressive Democrats Of America, Public Citizen, and Stand Up America.
\u201cTOMORROW @ 1PM: Activists are mobilizing for a major #impeachment rally at the Capitol.\n\nWe need you there. \n\nThe next few weeks are critical\u2014and tomorrow\u2019s action won\u2019t be the last. Join us, @MoveOn, @FSFP, @IndivisibleTeam, and others in DC tomorrow: https://t.co/SnTXNwFZt7\u201d— By the People \ud83d\uddfd\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 #RemoveTrump (@By the People \ud83d\uddfd\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 #RemoveTrump) 1569445379
As of press time 214 House Democrats and Republican-turned-Independent Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) had expressed support for an impeachment inquiry, according toThe New York Times, which is tracking the position of every member of the lower chamber. That number has soared in recent days amid ongoing concerns about a phone call in July between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and on Wednesday morning released a memo of his conversation with Zelensky, which critics called a "smoking gun." Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), argued in an op-ed published Wednesday by The New York Times that the memo "is far worse than we could have imagined" and demonstrates that Trump "sought multiple favors from a foreign leader for his personal political gain and in doing so violated his solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution."
\u201cEvery member\u2014Democrat and Republican\u2014needs to remember the oath they took to protect the Constitution, and speak out publicly in favor of a vote to impeach Trump. \n\nhttps://t.co/64pTflihgY\u201d— Indivisible Guide (@Indivisible Guide) 1569440107
Some supporters of impeaching Trump have called on congressional Democrats to not merely focus on Trump's legally dubious conversation with Zelensky. Peter Certo, editorial manager of the Institute for Policy Studies and editor of OtherWords, wrote Wednesday, "If Democrats feel they need the Ukraine story as a legal hook to start the process, that's one thing--but I hope they won't forget to make a political case against these much more egregious abuses along the way."
As Certo noted:
There's been any number of earlier abuses--from the merely venal (like altering a hurricane forecast with a sharpie) to the unapologetically corrupt (like putting military officers in Trump hotels and charging taxpayers for vacations at his own properties).
I also recall there was something about Russia, a fired FBI director, and--oh right--that time he called Nazis who'd just beaten people and killed someone in Charlottesville "very fine people."
Certo also highlighted Trump "taking buckets of fossil fuel money" while "destroying the planet," caging thousands of migrant children and "continuing to separate them from their parents after a court ordered him to stop," targeting progressive Democratic lawmakers on Twitter with "incendiary racist slanders," and "encouraging a foreign leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to block those members of Congress from an official visit to the top U.S. aid recipient."
Grassroots groups that are organizing in favor of impeaching Trump are also highlighting the president's broader record. Trump's conversation with Zelensky "confirms what we already know: Trump abused his authority, violated the law, and tried repeatedly to obstruct justice. Donald Trump is a criminal and these activities are impeachable offenses," according to the Impeach Now, a joint project of many groups behind Thursday's rally.
\u201cThe #BigotryReport lays out a compelling case for the impeachment of our #BigotInChief. Trump\u2019s hate-filled speech has worsened the racial divide in this country and rises to an impeachable offense. #ImpeachNow @by_the_ppl @equaljustice https://t.co/829v56qb9h\u201d— CREDO Mobile (@CREDO Mobile) 1569445217
Noting that the House still plans to go on a two-week recess and lawmakers are set to return to their home districts next week, Impeach Now is urging constituents on its website to "show up on the phones, at offices, and at town halls and make sure every member of Congress hears our message that they need to go back to Washington and take a vote to impeach Trump."
A coalition of 15 organizations led by Stand Up America and By the People sent a letter Wednesday to Pelosi and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler demanding that they cancel the upcoming recess and "immediately get to work impeaching this lawless president."
"The House has a constitutional duty to protect our democracy by holding a corrupt president accountable--and this is not the time for our elected representatives to go home," the letter says. "In place of this recess, we urge you to begin an aggressive hearing schedule, swiftly draft articles of impeachment, and vote to impeach Trump this fall."
Sean Eldridge, founder and president of Stand Up America, declared in a statement that "the president of the United States is a clear and present danger to our democracy."
"Every day Trump is in office is another day he betrays his country and undermines our democracy for his personal gain," said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, executive director of By the People, a campaign to impeach Trump. "Our movement successfully pressured the House of Representatives to advance impeachment proceedings. Now, House leadership must cancel their recess, do their job, and vote to #ImpeachNow."
\u201cWe're partnering with \n@by_the_ppl \n@popdemoc\n@CREDOMobile\n@DemCastUSA\n@DFAaction\n@equaljustice\n@FSFP\n@IndivisibleTeam\n@MarchForTruth17\n@Need2Impeach\n@pdamerica\n@revolvingdoorDC\n@womensmarch \n\nto demand Congress cancel their two-week recess & #ImpeachNow.\nhttps://t.co/pOTkeDhDsr\u201d— Stand Up America (@Stand Up America) 1569442218
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Even as Nadler Intensifies Trump Probes, Progressives Call on Pelosi to Stop 'Putting the Brakes on Impeachment'
"It's beyond time for the House to do more than small-bore resolutions to give them cover," said CREDO Action on Monday.
Sep 09, 2019
Grassroots social change advocates on Monday urged House Democrats to use every tool at their disposal to pursue articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump as soon as possible, as House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler announced his committee was planning to hold hearings related to its investigation into Trump.
The New York Democrat announced his committee would hold a hearing on September 17 with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who the president reportedly twice directed to ask former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to limit the Mueller probe. The committee also subpoenaed former Trump aides Rick Dearborn and Rob Porter.
The hearing represents a "small, concrete step toward impeachment" and holding Trump accountable for alleged obstruction of justice, said the grassroots group CREDO Action, which has helped collect more than 10 million signatures from people who believe the president should be impeached for a number of offenses.
"We urge Chairman Nadler to keep pushing forward, and vote articles of impeachment out of committee by October 1st. We can't wait any longer while Trump continues to abuse the presidency to enrich himself, obstruct justice and enact hateful policies that target millions of Americans."
--Thais Marques, CREDO Action"But without Chairman Nadler setting a date for a vote on articles of impeachment," said CREDO Action campaign manager Thais Marques in a statement, "it's clear that Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leadership are still putting the brakes on impeachment. It's beyond time for the House to do more than small-bore resolutions to give them cover."
The House Judiciary Committee's statement reads that the panel "will consider procedures on Thursday for future hearings related to its investigation to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment," and will vote on the procedures, but Marques called on Nadler to commit more fully to taking decisive action against the president.
"We urge Chairman Nadler to keep pushing forward, and vote articles of impeachment out of committee by October 1st," Marques said. "We can't wait any longer while Trump continues to abuse the presidency to enrich himself, obstruct justice, and enact hateful policies that target millions of Americans."
The procedures the committee will be considering include that evidence can be received by the committee in closed executive sessions to protect confidentiality and that the president's counsel may respond in writing to evidence and testimony presented to the Judiciary Committee.
Nadler noted in his statement that Trump stands credibly accused of abusing his power in a number of ways that have nothing to do with the Mueller investigation into the president's 2016 campaign.
"The president is in violation of the emoluments clauses of the Constitution as he works to enrich himself, putting the safety and security of our nation at risk," the chairman said. "He has dangled pardons, been involved in campaign finance violations, and stonewalled Congress across the board, noting that he will defy all subpoenas."
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, also said Monday the panel was expanding its inquiry to include Trump's dealings with Deutsche Bank and questions about whether the president engaged in money laundering and other activities that could have left him vulnerable to foreign influence.
"We are expanding the investigation outwards from the Mueller report to what I think every American can understand intuitively--the president has treated the office as an extended get-rich-quick scheme," Raskin told The Washington Post.
The national organization Need To Impeach applauded the committee for its expansion of the inquiry, which "could bolster an already overwhelmingly strong case for impeachment."
\u201cThe House Judiciary Committee is demanding detailed documents from the White House and Trump\u2019s private companies that could bolster an already overwhelmingly strong case for impeachment. Thank you @RepJerryNadler for investigating ALL of Trump\u2019s impeachable offenses. #ImpeachNow\u201d— Need To Impeach \ud83c\udf51 (@Need To Impeach \ud83c\udf51) 1568057400
The group also noted on Twitter that during Congress's August recess, grassroots demonstrators helped gain the support of more than a dozen Democrats who joined the majority of their colleagues in the House in backing impeachment proceedings against Trump.
\u201cMembers of Congress heard us loud and clear during the August Recess: the time to impeach is NOW. Thank you for standing with us during #ImpeachmentAugust!\u201d— Need To Impeach \ud83c\udf51 (@Need To Impeach \ud83c\udf51) 1568037722
"In the past few weeks, we've seen more and more representatives publicly come out in favor of impeachment. This did not happen on its own. It happened because members of all our grassroots organizations came out and demanded action," Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, said late last month, as the group's Impeachment August public action was underway. "Now, House leadership must listen to the people and take real, concrete steps toward impeachment."
"Only through impeachment," he added, "can we make it clear that Trump is not above the law."
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