American Bridge is one of more than 90 organizations signing a letter demanding that Congress and the Department of Justice create an independent, bipartisan commission and appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Donald Trump and Russia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2017
Contact: Robyn Shapiro, [email protected], 202.800.7407
Brian Stewart | [email protected]
Investigate Trump/Russia: 90+ Leading Veterans, Faith, and Social Justice Organizations and Influencers Demand Special Prosecutor, Independent Commission
Following continued news about Trump’s ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice, a broad coalition representing tens of millions of Americans joins together; signers include VoteVets, Common Cause, MoveOn.org, Public Citizen, Alec Baldwin, Chris Evans, Sally Field, and Zoe Saldana.
Washington, DC — As questions around Donald Trump’s ties to Russia and potential obstruction of justice grow, more than 90 national organizations representing tens of millions of Americans are joining leading influencers today in demanding Congress and U.S. Deputy General Rod Rosenstein create an independent, bipartisan commission and appoint a special prosecutor, respectively, to investigate ties between Trump, his associates, and Russia.
See the full letter online here.
The new letter comes after The New York Times reported on Tuesday that FBI Director James Comey, who Trump fired last week, documented in a memo that Trump had asked him directly to drop investigations into former national security advisor Mike Flynn’s ties to Russia during an Oval Office meeting. Trump later fired Comey, then admitting in a television interview that the Russia investigation was “on his mind” in doing so, contradicting official statements made by the Trump White House.
The latest news raises additional serious questions about whether Donald Trump was obstructing justice, an impeachable offense, and what Trump is hiding.
A truly independent special prosecutor and independent, bipartisan commission are necessary and crucial to get the full truth about Trump and his campaign’s ties to Russian interference in the election, Trump’s business dealings with Russia, and Trump’s possible attempts to obstruct the current investigation.
The letter was sent today to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and members of the Senate and House Intelligence and Judiciary committees.
Building on the rapidly growing chorus of concerned citizens, organizations, law enforcement personnel, veterans, elected officials, and others calling for a special prosecutor and independent commission, the letter notes the importance of the two non-executive branches of government checking the power of the executive branch and ensuring the rule of law is upheld.
The letter states, in part: “We are deeply concerned by the apparent obstruction of justice in the timing and manner in which Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. It has since come to light that, just earlier in the week, Director Comey had requested more resources to conduct a more intensive and robust investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Furthermore, Director Comey had increased his own involvement in the probe by getting daily briefings about it for the past few months, instead of weekly briefings.”
As the letter notes, it is the unanimous opinion of our nation’s top intelligence agencies that Russian actors interfered with the 2016 presidential election, and there is evidence indicating the Trump campaign may have colluded with the Russian government. Getting to the bottom of this should not be a partisan issue.
The letter notes that there is precedent for the appointment of a special prosecutor and an independent investigation, and concludes, “We ask that you put country before party to ensure that the integrity and well-being of our nation and its people remain your top priority, as they should.”
“It is absolutely crucial, for the integrity of the Republic and the very Constitution that every elected official swore to uphold, that we begin truly independent investigations into Russia’s influence on the election, and possible collusion with the Trump team,” said Will Fischer, Iraq War Veteran and Director of Government Relations for VoteVets. “This is not about party, it is about country. When my fellow veterans and I put on the uniform, we did our duty, regardless of whether we voted for the President, or supported the President politically. We’re asking politicians of both parties to do the same, now.”
Full list of individuals and organizations signed on to the letter is here:
Organizations:
ACCESS of WNY, Inc.
ACLU
Alliance for Justice
American Bridge 21st Century
American Civil Liberties Union
American Family Voices
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
ART NOT WAR
Artists for Peace and Justice
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Beaconfire RED
Becker Digital Strategies
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Better Georgia
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good
Civic Hall
Common Cause
Common Defense
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Courage Campaign
CPD Action
CREDO
Democracy for America
Democracy Spring
Democrats.com
Demos
EMILY’s List
End Citizens United
Equality New York
Every Voice
Food and Water Watch
Free Press Action Fund
Free Speech For People
Friends of the Earth – US
Global Exchange
Greenpeace US
Indivisible
Keystone Progress
MAYDAY America
Micah Institute
MomsRising
MoveOn.org
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Partnership for Women & Families
NextGen Climate
Not An Alternative
People Demanding Action
People For the American Way
Progress Virginia
ProgressNow
Public Citizen
Revolving Door Project
The Sierra Club
Stand Up America
State Innovation Exchange (SIX)
The Shalom Center
UltraViolet
UltraViolet Action
VoteVets
We Stand United
Win Without War
Women’s Action for New Directions
Working Families Party
Individuals:
Alec Baldwin
Dustin Lance Black
Bruce Cohen
Jackie Cruz
Alan Cumming
Lee Daniels
Melissa Etheridge
Chris Evans
Sally Field
Jane Fonda
Josh Gad
Dede Gardner
Donna Gigliotti
Diane Guerrero
Paul Haggis
Rashida Jones
TR Knight
Patti Lupone
Michael Mayer
Julianne Moore
Michael Moore
Kathy Najimy
Mark Ruffalo
David O. Russell
Zoe Saldana
Fisher Stevens
Marisa Tomei
Audrey Wells
Published: May 17, 2017