Wed. 10/2: Tick, tock, tick, tock

Action #1 – Your legislators are on recess…Talk to them about impeachment. Every day. And ask them to go back to D.C. now!

“It’s time for people who think that President Donald Trump should be removed from office to get on the phone and tell their senators and representatives. Now is when it matters. And yes: That kind of direct contact really does make a difference.” – Jonathon Bernstein

Minimal Script for our representatives: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Rep. [___] for supporting the impeachment of President Donald Trump and to ask [him/her] to get back to D.C. early and keep the pressure on the inquiry.
(Check here to see if your representative is already on board.)

Action #2 – Tell your legislators its past time for Congress to take back their full powers and to start using “inherent” contempt” again.

Time to start jailing subpoena-dodgers! There’s going to be a lot of hearings on the way to impeachment and Trump is refusing to allow anyone who has ever worked with him to testify. “Inherent Contempt” is an original power of Congress and it allows them to jail or fine those who refuse to comply with lawful subpoenas. Read more here about “inherent contempt“.

Minimal script for all legislators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep./Senator [___] to convey to all the heads of investigative committees that we are tired of watching officials of this corrupt administration refuse to obey lawful Congressional subpoenas. We want Congress to start using its power of “inherent contempt” again, to jail or substantially fine them.

Action #3 – Call the White House every day and ask for Trump’s resignation.

Minimal script: Good morning! Thanks for volunteering to answer phone calls today. I’m calling to ask that President Trump pay close attention to what happened to Nixon and resign immediately before more of his crimes are discovered. Thanks!

Contact: 202-456-1111

Action #4 – Call Attorney General Bill Barr and demand he recuse himself from all things Ukraine.

Minimal script: Hi, I’m writing/calling from [state]. I didn’t like Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Instead of protecting us, this racist, transphobic misogynist managed to dismantle and rescind protections, civil rights and civil liberties and introduced new policies that endangered some of the most vulnerable citizens in the U.S. However, he did have the professional ethics to recuse himself at the slightest suggestion of a conflict of interest in the Russia investigation. I hope Attorney General Bill Barr still remembers what professional ethics are and recuses himself completely from any issue touching on this Ukraine scandal.

Department Comment Line: 202-353-1555
Message to Department of Justice: here.

Action #5 – Is this the part where the white-collar criminals in the crime movie we’re living in start shredding their records?

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), asked DC-based federal Judge Amy Ber man Jackson for a temporary restraining order requiring Donald Trump and his accomplices to preserve to preserve all records of meetings, phone calls and other communications with foreign leaders. They also asked the court to order the White House to keep all documents regarding policies, legal advice and investigations about record-keeping.

Judge Jackson asked Kathryn Wyer, a Justice Department attorney if the records would be safe as the groups’ lawsuit continues. Wyer stated that she had no authorization from the White House to give such assurances, but that “There is really no issue, it seems to us, that there is any risk of anything not being preserved.” Jackson ordered that the Justice Department confirm to the court by Wednesday (today) that records will be kept, or else she would step in with a restraining order on the White House. Today, Wyer delivered a message that the president did “voluntarily agree…to preserve the material at issue pending” litigation. But this isn’t the end of anything, of course.

The Presidential Records Act states that all official communications are publicly owned and should be archived for public access after the President leaves office. It started because of Nixon’s attempt to hide his tapes, and it has new relevance with White House officials, like Jared Kushner, using encrypted messages that self-destruct. A bill to prevent this loophole, H.R. 1582 – Electronic Message Preservation Act, has already passed the House and is now lanquishing in the Senate.

Minimal Script for our senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator. [___] to help push HR 1582 – Electronic Message Preservation Act, out of McMcConnell’s tarpit of trapped bills.

Contact

Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26): email,DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24): email. DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com

Reading

225 House Democrats — nearly all of the 235-member caucus — now back some type of impeachment action in light of President Donald Trump’s burgeoning Ukraine scandal. Read list of supporters here. (Brownley and Carbajal are supporters!)
Detailed timeline on Ukraine-gate (justsecurity.org)
Trump and Giuliani’s quest for fake Ukraine “dirt” on Biden: An explainer. (just security.org)
The Ukrainians have found no dirt on Biden’s son. (Bloomberg)
The Congression Research Service’s 2015 educational report on the process of impeachment and removal (fas).
Why Pelosi has balked at impeachment (bloomberg)
Trump threatens stock market crash if he’s impeached. (Bloomberg)
Congress can’t ignore clearly impeachable offenses anymore (Bloomberg Opinion)
Trump administration deliberately refused to take action to prevent arrest of journalist in Egypt. (NYTimes)
The Consequence of No Consequences – House Dem’s refusal to take action against Trump has one result – it helps him (slate)