Abuse of Power

The American people deserve a fair trial of the impeached and disgraced President in the United States Senate – not a show trial to attempt to excuse the abuses of office which led to President Trump’s impeachment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP colleagues must put the interests of the nation before the interests of their political party. If Senator McConnell honestly believes that President Trump is innocent of the high crimes for which he was impeached by the House then he should agree a fair trial.

Boston's rally was bipartisan, with not only Democrats invited to speak but also former Massachusetts Republican Gov. William Weld, who is challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, said Pam Wilmot, the executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, one of the organizers. "We want to demonstrate that people care about this, that the rule of law is important and that our country will not stand for a fake trial and just sweeping this under the rug," Wilmot said. "This is a serious matter. It should not be about politics." She said she was worried about the kind of trial the Senate would hold, given McConnell's statements. "If we let it go now, it will become the norm or at least much more acceptable and that’s not good for America," she said. … In Los Angeles, at the rally across from City Hall, Katie Hill, the former Democratic congresswoman who resigned earlier this year amid allegations of an affair with an office staff member and the online release of intimate photos, spoke along with actress Alyssa Milano. "If we simply turn a blind eye to Trump's behavior or let him walk clean, that is a sign for the next president, and those who follow, that they can get away with abuses of power, obstruction of justice and violating the Constitution,'' Kathay Feng, Common Cause's national redistricting director said. "Staying silent is not an option."

Today, Common Cause called on the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach and the Senate to convict and remove Attorney General William Barr from office for obstruction of Congress, abuse of power and failing to faithfully execute his office. In a letter to every Member of Congress, Common Cause emphasized that Barr, despite serving as the nation’s top law enforcement official, has violated his oath of office and put the interests of President Donald Trump before the interests of the nation.

Common Cause, for example, recommended the House pass nine articles. “Not including expanded articles … gives a green light for future presidents that these abuses can go unpunished,” Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs at Common Cause recently told me.

Common Cause commends the House Judiciary Committee for approving two articles of impeachment against President Trump. These articles reflect the overwhelming evidence against President Trump that was collected despite obstruction of the investigation by the White House. We are disappointed that the Republican members of the committee chose to ignore the compelling evidence before them and uphold their oath of office. We encourage all House Members to impartially review the evidence before them and keep in mind their constitutional duty to hold the executive branch accountable and vote for these when they’re expected to be voted on by the full House of Representatives next week.