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Reclaiming our time: model impeachment hearing

By Ann G. Daniels and Larry Baskett

Deadline: Save it or lose it –

UPDATED: the October 13 event we refer to in this article is over, but you can see Larry’s  impeachment presentation at this pdf.

It is, alas, not explicitly stated in the Constitution that you can remove the President for losing every single marble in the toy store. However, Indivisible East Bay has been saying for quite a while (see our list at the bottom of this article) that there’s more than enough undisputed evidence to impeach the Current Occupant. Now – finally, finally – Nancy Pelosi has come around, and dare we hope that things might actually happen? 

Since we’ve been ahead of the game the whole way, let’s keep going with our very own model House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, a “people’s impeachment hearing” to show Speaker Pelosi and Committee Chair Nadler how it should be done. IEB is excited to pair with Indivisible SF and others to create this very real exercise in democracy, which we’ll hold with a live audience (of us!) and capture on video to distribute online. The model hearing, to be held on a date TBD before Election Day (November 5), will answer such important and frequently asked questions as:

  • Why impeach the president, in general? 
  • What offenses and actions – not just statutory crimes! – could be included in articles of impeachment? 
  • Why impeach in the House even if the Senate might not convict and remove the president? 
  • What is key to making impeachment in the House a success for the country? 
  • What is key to obtaining conviction in the Senate?

Here’s the thing: we need YOU to help make this happen. It takes a village to raze a childish, corrupt president – can you or folks you know help us fill these roles? Sign up at this link!

  1. Lawyers or legal eagles! Specifically, people knowledgeable about constitutional law or congressional procedure 
  2. People who’ve been directly impacted by Trump’s abusive policies (to give testimony). Think immigration, LGBTQ + rights, repro rights, worker safety and rights, environmental issues, federal workers …
  3. People interested in “adopting” an article of impeachment or two, to help script and organize a segment of the hearing – great for folks who’ve already dug deep and those who’d like to!
  4. People willing to act the parts of Members of Congress or witnesses. Theater folks welcome!

We also welcome anyone interested in helping organize or participate in ways we haven’t mentioned. You can also get in on the discussion on the #impeachment channel on IEB’s Slack. For an invite to join Slack, email info@IndivisibleEB.org

Can’t wait that long for impeachment action? Get out on the streets of San Francisco THIS SUNDAY, October 13, noon to 1:30 PM. IEB’s own impeachment expert Larry will speak, and the event will feature Spanish translation! Event details here. Also, check out this new website for impeachment rallies nationwide this Sunday, and pass it on to everyone you know across the country! 

Get up to speed by reading our earlier articles, with background and more actions you can take on impeachment, investigations, and the Mueller Report:

“Impeachment of the President – Ticket circa 1868,” graphic by Seth Anderson 

Ann G. Daniels’ checkered professional background includes practicing law, reproductive rights advocacy, creating web content for nonprofits and educational organizations, and teaching adult and family literacy. She also designs jewelry, teaches knitting, and sings second soprano.

Larry Baskett is a mechanical engineer who spent a year as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the California State Senate.

 

Heidi Rand Actions, Call and Email MoCs, Call Scripts, Meetings, Mueller report, newsletter action, Our Impact, Uncategorized

A Republic. If you can keep it.

Deadline: Save it or lose it –

Over the past year or more many of you have marched, made calls, read the Mueller Report, and in other ways stepped up to educate friends and Members of Congress about the urgent need to impeach the Criminal-in-Chief. At long last, the dam broke on Tuesday, September 24; as we watched the number of House Democrats jumping on board soar, Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally announced a formal impeachment inquiry under the umbrella of the six House Committees already investigating the wide range of Current Occupant’s high crimes and misdeeds.

We’re energized by this tectonic movement, and ready to push to keep the pressure on Congress, to keep the momentum going, and to unite to fight what is already coming: trolling, lying, and pressure from the forces of evil ON STEROIDS.

What you can do:

1. Take direct action! The coalition of groups that organized a lot of the most effective impeachment events and rallies has called for people to show up together at Town Halls and in-district events. Sign up here to get latest updates, and see whether there’s an event near you (or organize one!) Pledge to take action here.

2. Speaking of in-district events:

  • If you’re a constituent of Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15), join him for a conference call on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 am, to talk about the impeachment inquiry into Trump. Dial in: 1-800-719-7514 using code 635790. You’ll be able to ask questions on the call, but can also submit questions in advance to afielding@ericswalwell.com.
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) is holding two recess town halls: Oct. 1, 7-8:30 PM in Pittsburg, info & RSVP; and Oct. 3, 6:30-8 PM in Richmond, info & RSVP.

3. Indivisible National, By the People, and many other groups who’ve worked tirelessly in the impeachment coalition have their own sets of demands – many but not all overlap. We provide a list; please choose those which you agree with, and call to thank your Representative for coming out in favor of an impeachment inquiry (all East Bay Reps have done so – if you’re passing this article onto friends in other districts, they can find out if their Representative is in favor by looking at CNN’s list of House Democrats calling for an impeachment inquiry.

  • The House should cancel the October recess and begin to hold public impeachment hearings immediately.
  • The Judiciary Committee and other committees should hold frequent public hearings that make the case to the public in a persuasive, organized presentation.
  • Cover the full range of impeachable offenses, beyond just what’s in the Mueller Report or involving Ukraine. Mention a couple of examples that are important to you personally — there are many to choose from at these sources:
  • The House should take action on its own authority, rather than waiting for responses from the courts or from the administration.
  • The committees should use the House’s inherent power to punish contempt and to compel testimony.

Contact info:

4. If you’re able and want to support vulnerable Democrat House members who have stepped up to call for impeachment, you can donate to their reelection campaigns through the Courage to Impeach Actblue page. Options to donate to them collectively, or select one or more individually.

5. Talk to your friends and relatives about impeachment. Not sure what to say? Get up to speed by reading our earlier articles, with background and more actions you can take on impeachment, investigations, and the Mueller Report:

 

“Whistle” graphic by Gramzon

Larry Baskett contributed to this article. Larry is a mechanical engineer from Berkeley who spent a year as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the California State Senate.

 

 

Heidi Rand Actions, Call and Email MoCs, Call Scripts, Meetings, Mueller report, newsletter action, Our Impact, Uncategorized

Impeachment’s getting real

Deadline: Right now –

Congress is back in DC post-recess, and we hope their ears are ringing from hearing loud and clear from you and many others who want them to push hard for impeachment! House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler has announced an imminent vote on the procedures for the committee’s inquiry, so it’s a critical time to tell your member of Congress what YOU think should be included in the articles of impeachment.

What you can do:

Take direct action! On September 21- 23, many groups and individuals are gathering in Washington D.C. to demonstrate the massive support for impeachment among the American people. Join them there, or here, or virtually!

  • Sat. Sept. 21, 12-1:30 PM: Join the Solidarity March in San Francisco for the We The People March taking place in DC and nationwide. Gather at the Federal Building, 90 7th St. for a “First Amendment Assembly” in solidarity with the DC March to showcase the power of the people featuring music and rousing chants.
  • Mon. Sept. 23: By the People, the umbrella grassroots impeachment advocacy group, will hold a mock hearing in the halls of Congress: The People Vs Trump. If you know anyone who lives near DC, share this link so they can join in.
  • NOW! Support By the People’s hearing and communicate your ideas for articles of impeachment to the folks demonstrating, using By The People’s great tool.  You can submit written testimony at that link (they have a great list of questions to guide what you write), or record a quick selfie video where you talk about your story and upload it at this link.

Call your Representative, and also call the House Judiciary Committee, to push these specific objectives for the inquiry:

  • Don’t wait for responses from the courts or from the administration to move the public inquiry forward.
  • Start public hearings in earnest immediately.
  • Cover the full range of impeachable offenses, beyond just what’s in the Mueller Report findings. Mention a couple of examples that are important to you personally — there are many to choose from at these sources:
  • Declare a specific date by which they will bring articles of impeachment to the House floor.
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: (email); (510) 620-1000 • DC: (202) 225-2095
  • Rep. Barbara Lee: (email); (510) 763-0370 • DC: (202) 225-2661
  • Rep. Eric Swalwell: (email); (510) 370-3322 • DC: (202) 225-5065
  • House Judiciary Committee:  (202) 225-3951

For more information about impeachment, including views of MoCs leading the charge, like Representatives Al Green and Rashida Tlaib, take a look at the Impeachment University webinar series (archive viewable on YouTube). To keep up with nationally-coordinated actions, sign up with By the People. 

If you’re meeting with your Member of Congress’s staff, or with them personally, the IEB impeachment team would be glad to coordinate with you beforehand on the latest messaging and goals. Join the discussion, and post any questions or thoughts you have, on the #impeachment channel on Indivisible East Bay’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email info@IndivisibleEB.org

Help us spread the word: Do you know of a group that we could visit to present a 30- to 60-minute impeachment information and discussion session? We’ve got one all ready to go, so let us know on Slack or by email. 

Talk to your friends and relatives about impeachment. Not sure what to say? Get up to speed by reading our earlier articles, with background and more actions you can take on impeachment, investigations, and the Mueller Report:

It’s incredibly important for the House to impeach Trump, regardless of what the Senate does, to officially and publicly find him unfit for office and dangerous to the country. More and more MoCs come out in support of an inquiry every week. Let’s make sure they do it right! 

Larry Baskett contributed to this article. Larry is a mechanical engineer from Berkeley who spent a year as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the California State Senate.

Graphic: By the People 

 

indivisibleebadmin Actions, Call and Email MoCs, Call Scripts, Meetings, Mueller report, newsletter action, Our Impact, Uncategorized

Time is ripe for impeachment

Deadline: ASAP –

By Larry Baskett

During the impeachment update at August’s Indivisible East Bay All Members Meeting, we looked back at some Bay Area actions from the past few months. Most recently, you may have heard about an August 21 demonstration in San Francisco organized by CREDO Action and By the People that the SF Chronicle and other news media covered. As for DC happenings, House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler says they’ve started an impeachment inquiry, but we need to keep pushing to make sure they’re not just going through the motions. 

What you can do:

Call your Representative, and also call the House Judiciary Committee, to push these specific objectives for the inquiry:

  • Don’t wait for responses from the courts or from the administration to move the public inquiry forward.
  • Start public hearings in earnest immediately upon Congress’s return to session in early September.
  • Cover the full range of impeachable offenses, including the Mueller Report findings, but also including the many other instances of corruption and abuses of power. Mention a couple of examples that are important to you personally — there are many to choose from at these sources:
  • Declare a specific date by which they will bring articles of impeachment to the House floor.
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: (email); (510) 620-1000 • DC: (202) 225-2095
  • Rep. Barbara Lee: (email); (510) 763-0370 • DC: (202) 225-2661
  • Rep. Eric Swalwell: (email); (510) 370-3322 • DC: (202) 225-5065
  • House Judiciary Committee:  (202) 225-3951

For more information about impeachment, including the latest views of MoCs leading the charge, like Representatives Al Green and Rashida Tlaib, take a look at the Impeachment University webinar series (archive viewable on YouTube). To keep up with nationally-coordinated actions, see the Impeachment August site and sign up with By the People, the umbrella grassroots impeachment advocacy group.

If you’re meeting with your Member of Congress’s staff, or with them personally, the IEB impeachment team would be glad to coordinate with you beforehand on the latest messaging and goals. Join the discussion, and post any questions or thoughts you have, on the #impeachment channel on Indivisible East Bay’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email info@IndivisibleEB.org

Help us spread the word: Do you know of a group that we could visit to present a 30- to 60-minute impeachment information and discussion session? We’ve got one all ready to go, so let us know on Slack or by email. The next two weeks are a good time to do it!

Talk to your friends and relatives about impeachment. Not sure what to say? Get up to speed by reading our earlier articles, with background and more actions you can take on impeachment, investigations, and the Mueller Report:

It’s incredibly important for the House to impeach Trump, regardless of what the Senate does, to officially and publicly find him unfit for office and dangerous to the country. More and more MoCs come out in support of an inquiry every week. Let’s make sure they do it right! 

Larry Baskett is a mechanical engineer from Berkeley who spent a year as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the California State Senate.

“SOS We’re in a constitutional crisis”, graphic by Lynn LaRocca, of Alameda4Impeachment

 

Heidi Rand Actions, Call and Email MoCs, Events, Get Involved, Meetings, newsletter action, Our Impact, Uncategorized

Impeachment takes flight

Deadline: Now, while the iron is hot –

After running calls to action and articles for months asking you to urge our Representatives to open an impeachment inquiry (see the list at the end of this article), we’re happy to report, in Professor Laurence Tribe’s expert words, that the eagle has taken flight!

The House Judiciary Committee’s initiation of an impeachment inquiry was revealed publicly in the Committee’s July 26 court filing seeking the release of grand jury materials that were redacted in the Mueller Report. As of August 1, a majority of the House Democratic caucus, nearly 120 members, now support an impeachment inquiry, thanks to YOUR hard work! It’s a great start, but we must keep up the pressure – we must get louder than ever and ensure our lawmakers follow through. Also on August 1, Indivisible National, in coalition with Need to Impeach, MoveOn, and Stand Up America, launched Impeachment August, a broad campaign to help achieve what we’ve been working on: pressuring the House Democrats to vote for a formal impeachment inquiry.

What you can do:

All of our East Bay representatives have come out in support of impeachment, but that’s just the first step. We need them to support the proposed House Resolutions on impeachment: H.Res. 257, Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s resolution to authorize an impeachment inquiry, and H.Res. 396, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s resolution which also includes potential articles of impeachment. So far, Rep. Barbara Lee has supported H. Res 257, but Reps. Mark DeSaulnier and Eric Swalwell have not yet cosponsored either resolution. 

What to say:

If your Representative is Barbara Lee:

My name is ____, my zip code is ____, and I’m a member of Indivisible East Bay. I want the House to begin a formal impeachment inquiry, so I thank Rep. Lee for cosponsoring House Resolution 257. I’m also asking her to please urge her colleagues to follow her lead in support of impeachment.

If your Representative is Mark DeSaulnier or Eric Swalwell:

My name is ____, my zip code is ____, and I’m a member of Indivisible East Bay. I want to thank Rep. ___ for speaking out in favor of an impeachment inquiry. I want the House to begin a formal impeachment inquiry, and urge him to please cosponsor House Resolutions 257 and/or 396.

  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: (email); (510) 620-1000 • DC: (202) 225-2095
  • Rep. Barbara Lee: (email); (510) 763-0370 • DC: (202) 225-2661
  • Rep. Eric Swalwell: (email); (510) 370-3322 • DC: (202) 225-5065

What else you can do:

  • Read the letter written by Free Speech for People, and cosigned by a broad coalition of groups (including Indivisible) to the House Judiciary Committee. The letter raises concerns about and makes recommendations regarding the Committee’s timeline, scope, and public strategy for the impeachment inquiry.
  • Attend town halls your Members of Congress schedule, and other public events at which they appear. Ask a question about impeachment, and ask them to cosponsor House Resolutions 257 and/or 396.
  • Sign up for, or organize, constituent meetings with your MoCs, assisted by national coordination from By the People.
  • Join the discussion on the #impeachment channel on Indivisible East Bay’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email info@IndivisibleEB.org
  • Call on the presidential candidates to speak out about impeachment. See our list of links to all of the candidates’ websites and social media accounts, in this article
  • Talk to your friends and relatives about impeachment. Not sure what to say? Get up to speed by reading our earlier articles, with background and more actions you can take on impeachment, investigations, and the Mueller Report:

Larry B contributed to this article

Photo “Bald eagle flying” by Skeeze

 

Heidi Rand Actions, Call and Email MoCs, Events, Get Involved, Meetings, Mueller report, newsletter action, Our Impact, Uncategorized

Tell your MoCs: read Mueller’s Report, and act!

Update July 25, 2019 – If you missed any of Robert Mueller’s testimony, here are some great quick ways to get in the know:

You can also watch the Mueller Book Club’s Facebook Live streams of the testimony, and analysis:

 

Deadline: now and ongoing –

Every American should read what Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation unearthed about Russian election interference, the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia, and Trump’s obstruction of the investigation. And that goes DOUBLE for our Members of Congress, who have the duty to hold the current occupant and executive branch accountable.

Mueller’s only public statement, on May 29, 2019, was brief. Here are the main takeaways, and this article boils it down to ten points in plain English. Mueller will testify publicly before the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees on July 24, the first time he’ll face public questioning about the investigation. There are several things you can do to prepare so we can best analyze and amplify Mueller’s testimony, and counter Attorney General Barr’s lies and spin about the Report:  

1. First, find out whether your Members of Congress have read the full Mueller Report. Enter your address at this Common Cause tool; thank your MoCs if they have read it – or urge them to read it if they haven’t; and urge them to keep fighting to hold Trump accountable! Find your MoCs’ contact info at the end of this article.

2. Then – haven’t read the Mueller Report yourself? Get it for free:

3. Whether you’ve read it or not, join the Mueller Book Club. They’re offering two ways to watch the hearings:

  • Join the Club’s Zoom conferences during both segments of the live testimony, including a live stream of the testimony:
    • Click here to register for the Judiciary Committee segment (conference will begin at 5:15 AM PT; testimony begins at 5:30 AM)
    • Click here to register for the Intelligence Committee segment (conference will begin at 8:45 AM PT; testimony begins at 9 AM)
    • Click here to register for the 5:30 PM post-testimony analysis  with policy and legal experts to discuss the key takeaways from the day and next steps moving forward!
  • Or watch the Club’s Facebook Live stream of the testimony at their FB page.
  • You can also see past Mueller Book Club discussion videos.
  • Spread the word by submitting a letter to the editor! Use the Club’s tool to write a letter and find contact info for your local newspapers.

4. Next, want more background and more actions you can take? Read our earlier articles:

5. Last but not least — did you miss the debut of our Mueller (mis)fortune cookies at the Indivisible East Bay July 4 booth in El Cerrito? Get one while they last at our July 28 All Members Meeting, 1-3 PM, Sports Basement, Berkeley!)

 

Mueller Report (mis)fortune cookie, photo by Alice Towey
Mueller Report (mis)fortune cookie, photo by Alice Towey

CONTACT INFO FOR OUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:

  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein: (email); (415) 393-0707 • DC: (202) 224-3841
  • Sen. Kamala Harris: (email); (415) 981-9369 • DC: (202) 224-3553
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: (email); (510) 620-1000 • DC: (202) 225-2095
  • Rep. Barbara Lee: (email); (510) 763-0370 • DC: (202) 225-2661
  • Rep. Eric Swalwell: (email); (510) 370-3322 • DC: (202) 225-5065

Graphic © Mueller Book Club