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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.

The escalating abuse of presidential powers and continued stonewalling by the White House have necessitated the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry by the House of Representatives and Common Cause continues to support such an investigation. Americans deserve to know the truth whether President Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, as well as abuses of power. And as Americans we deserve the system of co-equal branches of government enshrined in the United States Constitution. A formal impeachment investigation is required to safeguard the coequal status of the branches of our government and ensure that Congress is able to conduct its oversight responsibilities.

Today, Common Cause filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani illegally solicited a political contribution from a foreign national—by repeatedly urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden. The allegations were first published in The Wall Street Journal, and subsequently President Trump admitted that during a July 25th phone call he pressured President Zelensky to pursue the investigation of his political rival and his son.

Today, as the House Judiciary Committee prepares to vote on an impeachment inquiry, Common Cause continued its call for Members to support the investigation in response to White House non-cooperation and stonewalling of any attempts to investigate past and current potential criminal conduct or wrongdoing by President Trump or members of his administration. Common Cause mobilized its 1.2 million members over the congressional recess to gain additional Member support for the impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House of Representatives.   

Today, Common Cause called on the U.S. House of Representatives to immediately begin an impeachment investigation in response to White House non-cooperation and stonewalling of any attempts to investigate past and current potential criminal conduct or wrongdoing by President Trump or members of his administration. In new a detailed report that will be sent to every member of the House, the nonpartisan government watchdog makes the case, and stresses the need, for the impeachment inquiry.