Free Speech For People joined more than two dozen groups in issuing an open letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, demanding that she take action and move to start an impeachment investigation of Donald Trump.

The letter addresses Speaker Pelosi’s reluctance to use her power to hold Trump accountable for his numerous constitutional violations:

As Speaker of the House, you have the power to ensure Congress exercises its constitutional obligation to hold this president accountable, but instead of using your power, you are giving us political excuses for why you shouldn’t. Instead of leading, you and your colleagues have asked us to wait – wait for the Mueller report, wait for the unredacted Mueller report, wait for Mueller’s testimony about the Mueller report, wait for more investigations, wait for bipartisan consensus, wait for impeachment to poll better, wait for the 2020 election.

But we can’t wait any longer. While we wait, Trump’s policies continue to harm those from the most marginalized and vulnerable populations:

Waiting is a privilege. But it is not a privilege available to the families separated by his deportation force or his Muslim ban, the asylum seekers languishing in Mexico, the people threatened by his embrace of white supremacy, the LGBTQ people whose rights he is taking away, the women whose bodies he is trying to control or the communities threatened by his denial of the climate crisis.

The letter explains that there is “still a chance to turn this around.” Speaker Pelosi can leverage her position to be the leader we need at this critical moment in history and to do what is right:

The American people deserve a leader who is willing to bravely use power to rein in the Trump administration and defend our communities. You have stated that we are facing a constitutional crisis. But the remedy for such a constitutional crisis is not traditional congressional oversight…The framers placed the impeachment power in the Constitution precisely for the purpose of confronting a lawless president like Donald Trump.

Read the full letter and add your comment explaining why we can no longer wait for an impeachment investigation. Join us in urging Speaker Pelosi to act, here.

On Wednesday, May 29, Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public remarks since the end of his two-year investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In his remarks, the special counsel reaffirmed the conclusions of his report, stating that his “report is [his] testimony.” However, Mueller did not exonerate the President. Rather, he stated, “If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”

While Mueller referred to the Justice Department tradition that prohibits indicting a sitting president, he made it clear that Congress has the means and the responsibility to act. He commented that the Constitution “requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.”

The process to which Mueller refers is an impeachment investigation – and Members of Congress are starting to get that message loud and clear. A number of Members of Congress, who had previously stopped short of supporting impeachment proceedings, have since spoken out to demand an impeachment inquiry be launched by the House Judiciary Committee. And those who had already made the call are now renewing their support:

Robert Mueller’s statement makes it clear: Congress has a legal and moral obligation to begin impeachment proceedings immediately.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) May 29, 2019

It’s time for Congress to begin impeachment hearings and follow the facts. Robert Mueller clearly expects Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and take steps that he could not. We can’t let the president defy basic accountability measures built into our Constitution.

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 29, 2019

Mueller leaves no doubt:
1) He didn’t exonerate the president because there is evidence he committed crimes.
2) Justice Department policy prevented him from charging the president with any crimes.
3) The Constitution leaves it up to Congress to act—and that’s impeachment.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 29, 2019

Regardless of whether special counsel Robert Mueller provides further testimony, we have more than enough evidence that Trump has committed numerous Constitutional violations. There is a clear path forward for Congress and it is to start impeachment investigations.

If you would like to get involved in the movement, click here to take action!

On Saturday, May 18, Justin Amash became the first Republican member of Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against the president. Congressman Amash, the representative from Michigan’s 3rd district, laid out his thoughts on impeachment in a Twitter thread:

Here are my principal conclusions:
1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.
2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.
3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.
4. Few members of Congress have read the report.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 18, 2019

Congressman Amash joins a growing number of Members of Congress who have now spoken in favor of starting impeachment proceedings. They are also joined by over 900 former federal prosecutors who agree that, if Donald Trump were not president, he would have already been charged for committing numerous crimes.

The pressure is growing on Speaker Pelosi to take action – and it does appear that the tide is turning. Top Democrats of the House Judiciary Committee suggest they may call for impeachment inquiry, following Former White House Counsel Don McGahn refusal to testify in response to a Congressional subpoena.

Thank you to those brave Members of Congress who have called for an impeachment inquiry and to all the activists who continue to hold our leaders accountable. It is vital that Members of Congress uphold their oaths of office to defend our Constitution. We must start impeachment proceedings now against this lawless president.

“There are those who say political expediency dictates that we not impeach. I say moral imperative always trumps political expediency.” – Congressman Al Green

“When I look back at this moment in our country, this remarkable moment in our country, I want to look back and say that I did something…Right now, doing nothing is not an option, and ten million people just told us do something.” – Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

On May 9, 2019, allied organizations delivered over ten million petition signatures to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Congressman Al Green, the largest online petition in history, to demand that Congress begin an impeachment investigation of the president for his repeated and egregious abuses of power and abuses of the public trust.

At a press conference for the petition delivery, representatives from key groups joined Congresswoman Tlaib and Congressman Green to speak in support of holding the president accountable to the law. Speakers included:

• John Bonifaz, President, Free Speech For People
• Heidi Hess, Working Assets/CREDO
• Linda Sarsour, Women’s March
• Jane Slusser, Need to Impeach
• Joseline Garcia, By the People
• Reggie Hubbard, MoveOn

Watch the full press conference below!

Click here to read John Bonifaz’s full remarks from the press conference.

Coverage for this historic event was featured in The Nation, Washington Times, Fox News, USA Today, Common Dreams, Bustle, The Hill, MSN, CBS News, NBC News, on OutFrontCNN, on MSNBC, and Newsweek.

Scroll down to view photos from the event!

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 9, Free Speech For People is coming together with allied groups from across the country to deliver what is likely the largest online petition in history. We will be delivering ten million petition signatures in support of an impeachment investigation of the president to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and the other Members of Congress who have joined her in calling for an impeachment inquiry.

Free Speech For People is proud to join groups like MoveOn, CREDO Mobile, Need to Impeach, Women’s March, By the People, Change.org, and Democracy for America in our call for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings NOW.

From the moment Trump took office, Donald Trump has proven he is a direct and serious threat to our Republic. Free Speech For People has been on the front line in sounding the alarm about Trump’s multiple impeachment offenses. Now Congress must stand up to this lawless president and begin impeachment investigations against him.

Our press conference will be held at 1:30pm EST tomorrow at the Capitol. If you are in the DC area, join us there! Click here for more details and to RSVP for the event!

If you do not live in DC but still want to participate, be sure to watch the livestream of our press conference here so you don’t miss this historic moment!

See you tomorrow!