On the Helsinki summit, election integrity and Mueller
I’m going to cut straight to the chase:
What we witnessed in Helsinki was a treasonous act.
The fact Trump stood next to a known adversary, and said he believes someone who:
- Is a former KGB officer
- Has had reporters killed
- Has poisoned former intelligence officers
- Annexed an entire region
over the men and women of our intelligence agencies, is an absolute perversion of our democracy.
(And yes, I’m aware he retracted everything today, Tuesday July 17th. It still happened. Still an act of treason.)
I know I generally like to keep things firm but light, but Helsinki, combined with the show circus that was Strzok’s hearing, the indictments, the push to impeach Rosenstein and the fact DNI Coats made it very clear that the “red lights are blinking again”, is making me very concerned.
Add in the fact my ex-intelligence/current military officers classmates at JHU are also concerned — a professor agreed with Coats that this is another “pre-9/11 period”, it’s all pointing in one direction. We need to step up our vigilance.
1. Call your electeds and ask them to respond strongly to Trump’s actions.
There are a number of things to ask for.
- Sanctions
- Asking for the transcript from the translators in the room w/ Trump/Putin (since who knows what Trump promised?)
- Making sure Mueller is protected
- And doing everything in their power to condemn the POTUS, including considering a censure.
You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [address/zip code].
You: I’m calling to ask [elected] do everything in their power to condemn President Trump’s actions in Helsinki, including (but not limited to): further sanctions against Russia, and a resolution of censure. The President just endorsed an adversary who directly spearheaded influence operations against our 2016 elections — as proven by our intelligence communities.
You: Congress can’t stand by and do nothing, as Trump erodes and perverts our democratic principles and norms. I demand action, and it has to go beyond statements issued on social media.
You: I also want [elected] to ask for the translator’s notes from the private Trump/Putin meeting to be subpoenaed. We need to know what was said.
You: [Elected] needs to show their constituents that they will fight for our democracy, even if Trump won’t.
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And here’s a script for protecting Mueller.
2a: Demand election protections
Ask your federal electeds to move more quickly on the various pieces of election protection legislation floating around. @wapo has a great, succinct write-up.
E.g. @amyklobuchar has co-sponsored two great pieces of legislation, including:
a. The bipartisan S. 2593: Secure Elections Act: (Which we should all support)
b. The S. 3090: Save Voters Act: Which addresses Ohio voter purging
2b: Protest the nomination of Donald Palmer to the Election Assistance Commission He was nominated to the Election Assistance Commission last week, and has a history of purging voters in his home state of Virginia. To wit:
Here’s more on the Election Assistance Commission, and why it’s so critical in a year we’re worried about the integrity of our elections. Palmer’s nomination requires a full senate vote. So call, and get on the record.
You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [address/zip code].
You: I am calling to ask [Senator] support the bipartisan S. 2593: Secure Elections Act, and S. 3090: Save Voters Act. With the November midterms right around the corner, it’s important Congress ensure that our elections are protected and transparent.
You: I am also calling on [Senator] to vote NO to Donald L. Palmer’s nomination to the Election Assistance Commission. His past track record of purging voters and misinforming voters of their status. in Virginia proves he can’t effectively perform or support the mission of the Commission.
You: Finally, I want to remind [Senator], Friday’s indictments reinforces Russia is interfered in our elections, and by all accounts from our intelligence community, will continue to do so. I expect [Senator] to do everything in their power to protect our election integrity, regardless of what the White House might say.
Moving onto the state level:
- Check your voter registration or register to vote.
- Get others to do the same.
Then, either email or call your Secretary of State to ask how they plan on protecting November elections, given the warnings from DNI Coats this week. At the local level, you can reach out to your county register and ask the same question. Understand their process.
3. Take some time to learn how impeachment works
I’m seeing a lot of calls for impeachment, which I completely understand. Unfortunately, we have to recognize:
1. we don’t have the numbers right now (meaning Dems who will vote in favor of impeachment in both the House or the Senate, since the GOP sure won’t),
2. Impeachment doesn’t necessarily mean POTUS leaves the WH. See: Johnson, Andrew.
Please take some time to understand how it works. This History.com article is simple and straightforward.
Honestly, if I believed we could achieve impeachment in this climate, I would absolutely tell you to push for it. The national nightmare can be over, I can get more than four hours of a sleep, etc.
But as it is: it would be a misdirected call, which might send people exerting precious energy on the wrong thing. Make sense?
But on that note —
4. Let’s recommit to our mission to defend incumbent Senate seats + flip two.
You know the drill — I’ve spoken out about the need to defend the Senate, and often. Polls shift, but some of our incumbent Democrats are down. As a part of our vigilance, we need to be paying attention, and supporting them however we can — even if we may not like some of them.
Pick a senator from Road to 18 to defend, and also support Becky Albertalli’s Senator Sundays feature on Instagram.
If you have any questions on this — please ask!
5. Directly related to the Senate — the continued need to focus on SCOTUS.
As I’ve said in previous newsletters, our objectives for the Senate and SCOTUS are intertwined. (Check the archive for the last newsletter)
But here’s another far out-there scenario that we actually need to consider:
- Let’s say Trump loses in 2020
- And refuses to accept the election results — which seems HIGHLY possible after Helsinki,
- And this case goes up in front of SCOTUS.
If Trump has two (or god forbid, three) justices, they could vote in his favor. So make sure you keep calling and protesting about Kavanaugh. I’ll update the guide, with more information as we get it.
But basically, keep saying to yourself: we have to Bork the nomination.
Now. You know where to find me, and you know the drill — it’s time to get to work.
