How to stand up to Trump Collusion and oust Kavanaugh

This Week in Trump Collusion” timeline:

→ Tuesday: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on charges of bank and tax fraud. THEN former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pled guilty to campaign finance violations.
→ Wednesday: The revelations on the Cohen investigation prompted Democrats to call for a delay on the confirmation process for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And New York state investigators issued a subpoena to Cohen as part of their investigation into the Trump Foundation.
→ Thursday: We found out that National Enquirer publisher David Pecker received immunity from federal prosecutors for providing information on the Trump and Cohen hush money investigations. After Trump threw a Twitter tantrum, and called Paul Manafort a “brave man,” it was reported that Trump is considering a pardon for Manafort (reminder: this is a big, glaring red line and we’ll be ready).
→ Hours before we wrote this email: News broke that Trump organization finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, would be granted immunity in the Cohen investigation as well.

Bottom line: Even before the continuing drip-drip of collusion, there were plenty of reasons for your senators to oppose Kavanaugh based on his record.

Brett Kavanaugh's record shows that he is willing to protect Trump from accountability for his corruption and crimes, dismantle environmental protections, and side with the wealthy and powerful over working people. 

Now, there’s no excuse for inaction. We know that Brett Kavanaugh does not believe a sitting president can be indicted, or should even be investigated. It’s clear that Trump engaged in criminal activity during the campaign, and he chose Kavanaugh in order to shield himself from accountability when the Supreme Court inevitably weighs in on Trump’s crimes and corruption.

That’s why it is imperative that we stop Kavanaugh now. Trump has hand-picked the Supreme Court nominee that would have the ability to exonerate him. Yet, there are 26 senators that are still undecided. That’s unacceptable.

Here’s how you hold your members of Congress (and Trump) accountable:

• Find out where your senators stand on Kavanaugh. Our policy team has put together a handy tracker to find out whether your senator has publicly opposed, supported, or is on the fence. If you want to go the extra mile, there are even judiciary staff contacts for each senator listed in the tracker that you can email to voice your opposition!
• Democratic senators must speak up. It’s important to publicly oppose Kavanaugh ahead of the confirmation hearings coming up on September 4. There are still key Democrats that need to voice their position, like Senators Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Manchin. And Senator Schumer must especially work to whip the votes and keep Democrats together.
• Flip key Republicans. We still haven’t heard Senator Murkowski’s stance, and though Senator Collins is leaning “yes,” that doesn’t mean that there isn’t enough time to change her mind with strong constituent opposition. You can find our updated call scripts here and start making calls on Monday.

Let’s keep our eyes on what’s important

On weeks where the news is chaos (or pretty much a dumpster fire), it’s important for us to not get distracted. There’s only one way to make sure that these fights stop coming down to the wire -- Vote. Them. Out. We need to #DoTheWork to vote out those members of Congress that either avoid their constituents or blatantly ignore their constituents needs. Here’s how you can do that:

✔️ Don’t wait another moment to register to vote.  Help your friends and family get registered, too! Check out our voter registration tool at indivisible.turbovote.org to get started.
✔️ Find an electoral event near you. So many Indivisible groups across the country are canvassing and holding phone or text bank drives. Find your local event on our map and get involved today.
✔️Support our IndivisiCandidates. Indivisible groups endorsed locally and nominated candidates for national endorsements. You can find our most recent list of 45!! Indivisible endorsed candidates here.

If your MoC hasn’t shown up to a town hall in months, if they only have private events during recess, or if they’ve consistently voted with the Trump administration despite their flooded phone lines -- 👏VOTE👏THEM👏OUT👏 and elect the people who have shown commitment and accountability to their communities.

- INDIVISIBLE 

Tell Sens. Corker, Flake and McCain: Trump investigation must be truly independent. Sign the petition

Petition to Sens. Corker, Flake and McCain: "Protect the rule of law by ensuring the independence of current investigations into Trump’s Russia ties. Protect special prosecutor Mueller from Trump’s abuse of power." Add your name:

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Donald Trump’s Russia ties has yielded its first indictments – which may put the investigation under threat. News recently broke that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, another former Trump staffer are under indictment. On top of the indictments, Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his communication with Russians.1 The threat to Mueller’s independence – and a constitutional crisis – is now very real. Trump has openly mused about firing Mueller in public interviews. His team has been digging up dirt on the special prosecutor. In the days before the indictments became public, Trump allies tried to deflect blame, pushed for phony investigations of Sec. Clinton to distract Americans, and advocated to strip Mueller of his powers.2,3 What happens next is a huge test for the so-called moderate Republicans of conscience who have recently spoken out against Trump’s reckless abuse of power – they must now put words into action to protect the integrity of existing investigations into all of Trump and his associates’ illegal ties to Russia. Sens. John McCain, Bob Corker and Jeff Flake have made headlines and earned plaudits from the elite political and media establishment for saying that Trump is a threat to our democracy, but they have done precious little to back those words up with action. Tell Sens. Corker, Flake and McCain: The investigation into Trump’s Russia ties must be truly independent. Protect special counsel Mueller from Trump’s abuse of power. Click here to sign the petition. These Republicans must immediately use all their institutional and public leverage to ensure all current investigations concerning Trump’s Russia ties continue without interference from the Trump regime and its allies in Congress. They must help pass legislation to protect an independent counsel and prevent Donald Trump from triggering a constitutional crisis. Mueller’s methodical investigation is critical and it is still in its beginning stages. We still do not know if more indictments are to come or what Papadopoulos, Manafort, or Gates will share about other Trump associates in order to spare themselves time behind bars. Not long ago, a post-Watergate law was in place that protected investigations like Mueller’s from presidential overreach. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 set up a system to ensure that special prosecutors would be totally independent officials that a group of judges could appoint and no president can fire. But in the 1990s, Republicans and Democrats teamed up to let the independent counsel statute expire.4 Mueller, instead, is a special prosecutor serving at the whim of Trump’s own Department of Justice.5 That means that Trump could order Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller, sparking a constitutional firestorm with the executive branch seeking to crush the rule of law to protect its grip on power. Congress can prevent this nightmare scenario. If Sens. Corker, Flake and McCain want to back up their strong talk with real action, they need to show that they are willing to force the White House to obey the law by protecting Mueller’s investigation and keeping it independent of Trump overreach. Tell Sens. Corker, Flake and McCain: The investigation into Trump’s Russia ties must be truly independent. Protect special counsel Mueller from Trump’s abuse of power. Click here to sign the petition. Mueller’s thorough investigation into Trump’s Russia ties has already uncovered far more than Trump would like, and as the White House has already been doing everything it can to discredit Mueller, it seems like it is only a matter of time before he lashes out to undermine the investigation by pardoning his former campaign staff, firing Mueller – or both. Unlike in the summer when Trump first contemplated firing Mueller, there are now key Senate Republicans who have spoken out and must now draw a line in the sand to protect our democracy. With an illegitimate autocrat occupying the White House, our system of laws needs the strongest possible defense – no White House is above the law. Congress must step up now to make sure we have a truly independent investigation of Trump. Tell Sens. Corker, Flake and McCain: Trump investigation must be truly independent. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Protect_Mueller?t=8&akid=25847%2E3130208%2E1lgKcv - Kaili Lambe, CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Matt Zapotosky, Rosalind Helderman, Carol Leonnig and Spencer Hsu, “Three former Trump campaign officials charged by special counsel,” The Washington Post, Oct. 30, 2017. Nicholas Fandos, “Courting Democrats Ire, Republicans Open New Obama-Era Inquiries,” The New York Times, Oct. 24, 2017. Sonam Sheth, “Mueller's latest move has Trump's staunchest allies melting down on Twitter,” Business Insider, Oct. 28, 2017. Phil Helsel, “‘Special Counsel’ Less Independent Than Under Expired Watergate-Era Law,” May 17, 2017. Erwin Chemerinsky and Eric Freedman, “Naming Robert Mueller as special counsel isn't enough – because Trump can get rid of him,” Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2017.