Enough is enough. The stakes are too high; the consequences too grave; the risk too extreme. The very existence of our democracy is in play. At the most minimal, we deserve to know the full truth about connections between Russia and the Trump administration.
U.S. Senator, Chuck Schumer has called for a special prosecutor in the investigation of ties between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, after the president fired FBI Director James Comey.
“I have said from the get-go that I think a special prosecutor is the way to go, but now with what’s happened it is the only way to go,” Schumer told reporters.
We are not Russians where truth about our government is buried and denied. We are Americans. It is our right to know what our government is doing. And it is our time, at this very moment, to exercise that right. To demand members of Congress create an independent investigative body we can trust to find all the facts. To find the truth. To construct remedies.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Here’s why:
Republicans lead the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. We’d like to depend on them for thorough investigations that follow the facts wherever they lead. Elise Stefanik, member of the House Intelligence Committee, has paid lip service to continuing its bipartisan investigation. But at the end of the day, a political committee–even a bipartisan committee–is political.
We need an investigation that is not political.
What about the Department of Justice? Part of the Executive Branch of government, the DoJ is charged with enforcing the law of the land. As such, it can bring charges of wrongdoing, where congressional committees cannot. But there are problems at the DoJ.
Attorney General Jeff Session lied about his contacts with Russians and has been forced to recuse himself from any investigation. Will he?
President Trump fired James Comey, Director of the FBI, who was heading the investigation. Why? It depends on who’s asking the question and when. Two facts are certain. One: Days before he was fired, Director Comey had requested more funding for the investigation. Two: The next Director will be a Trump appointee. Given the pattern of Trump appointees, that person is likely to be a loyalist.
We need an investigation not headed by a loyalist.
We need a proper investigation. One with enough resources to mount a thorough and timely review of events and to bring charges if they are appropriate. One completely independent of politics.
This is not about one party over another. It is not about partisan wins and losses. It is about our country. Our democracy. Our way of life. There can be no losses.
This is about us, citizens in a participatory democracy, exercising our right to know the truth about our public servants. They owe us that. We must insist they give us that.
“Nothing less is at stake than the American people’s faith in our criminal justice system and the integrity of the executive branch of our government.” –Senator Chuck Schumer
Here’s what you can do to make this happen:
- Demand that your Representatives block all judicial and Department of Justice nominations until an independent prosecutor is appointed.
- At town halls, ask your Representative directly, Will you block DoJ nominations until a special prosecutor is appointed?
- Visit your Representative’s district office and demand she or he choose patriotism over party by insisting on an independent prosecutor.
- Call your Representative’s office and insist he or she stand up for our national security by demanding an impartial investigation into Russian interference in our elections.
You can do this. You must do this. We have no choice but to do it.