President Trump and his GOP apologists don’t get to have their cake and eat it too. After months of doing everything in their power to obstruct any investigation of presidential misconduct – particularly related to President Trump’s efforts to coerce and bribe the President of Ukraine to launch an investigation of his Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son – it is laughable that they are now trying to dismiss the process as a ‘witch hunt.”

Every American should be grateful for the life of William Ruckelhaus, who personified the rule of law by refusing President Nixon’s order to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox.

Today’s vote is a defining moment for every member of the U.S. House of Representatives. History is watching as Republican Members will weigh the choice of casting a vote for their country or for their party. Amidst a growing list of witnesses testifying about shocking abuses of power by the Trump administration and the president’s inner circle and seismic shifts in public disapproval of the president’s conduct, this is the first time many Members will be asked to cast a formal vote that will put them on the right—or wrong—side of history.

With a floor vote expected later today, Common Cause and it’s 1.2 million members continue to strongly urge every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote “yes” on the SHIELD (Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy) Act (HR 4617). In a Monday letter to Representatives, Common Cause emphasized that the critical legislation will help safeguard our elections from the very real and ongoing dangers of foreign interference in our elections.

The arrest and indictment of Soviet-born agents of Rudy Giuliani for illegally funneling foreign money into Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential run is an encouraging sign that the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will enforce the laws even if Main Justice is run by Trump-apologist William Barr. The charges of conspiracy to funnel foreign dollars into U.S. elections against Florida businessmen Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman paint a troubling picture of the free flow of foreign money into our elections due to insufficient safeguards and lax enforcement.

The President’s refusal to comply with congressional demands for witness testimony and documents in its impeachment investigation is a direct defiance of the United States Constitution. This blatant obstruction of an impeachment investigation will likely be included in future articles of impeachment leveled against Donald Trump. It is the type of abuse that is so clear cut that the Department of Justice should investigate, if Attorney General Barr wasn’t complicit in the obstruction of justice himself. Congress must act to curb this abuse of power expediently before permanent damage is done to our nation’s system of government.