STOP TRUMP’S WITCH HUNT
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
FOR MERKLEY: I am deeply worried about giving Barr authority to declassify intelligence, and Trump’s smears of treason against federal employees. Thank you for calling for an impeachment inquiry. Please continue to speak up loudly and often. I also wonder whether the President can legally delegate the power to declassify intelligence information. Please ask the congressional intelligence committees to investigate this question and to immediately step up their oversight function. Thank you.”
FOR WYDEN: I am deeply worried about giving Barr authority to declassify intelligence, and Trump’s smears of treason against federal employees. I ask you to join the call for an impeachment inquiry. I also wonder whether the President can legally delegate the power to declassify intelligence information. I urge you as Member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, to investigate this question and to persuade committee leadership immediately step up their oversight function. Thank you.”
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
FOR BLUMENAUER AND BONAMICI: I am deeply worried about giving Barr authority to declassify intelligence, and Trump’s smears of treason against federal employees. Thank you for calling for an impeachment inquiry. Please continue to speak up loudly and often. I also wonder whether the President can legally delegate the power to declassify intelligence information. Please ask the congressional intelligence committees to investigate this question and to immediately step up their oversight function.”
FOR DEFAZIO, SCHRADER: I am deeply worried about giving Barr authority to declassify intelligence, and Trump’s smears of treason against federal employees. I ask you to join the call for an impeachment inquiry. I also wonder whether the President can legally delegate the power to declassify intelligence information. Please ask the congressional intelligence committees to investigate this question and to immediately step up their oversight function.”
FOR WALDEN: I am deeply worried about giving Barr authority to declassify intelligence, and Trump’s smears of treason against federal employees. Please put country over party, and join the call for an impeachment inquiry. Thank you.”
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
BACKGROUND:
Trump’s order giving Attorney General (AG) Barr power to declassify intelligence at will makes Nixon’s attacks on his enemies seem quaint. An AG who serves as Trump’s personal attorney is likely to cherry pick and deploy intelligence against the FBI and the intelligence community first, and then anyone in Trump’s way: the Democratic presidential challenger, sitting MoCs, and the press.
Last week Trump also named names of those he thinks committed treason punishable by death: Former FBI Director Comey and Deputy Director McCabe, former FBI attorney Page, former FBI agency Strzok, and “people higher than that.” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) has picked up the treason drumbeat.
Trump’s order hurts our intelligence work and empowers our enemies. He damages our alliances, threatens intelligence sources, and destabilizes our democracy. His willingness to charge “treason” is a real witch hunt. The Senate and House intelligence committees should assert their authority and look into whether the President can legally delegate his power to declassify. And an impeachment inquiry must start now, for the safety of us all.
SOURCES:
Original Trump memo: https://www.lawfareblog.com/presidential-memorandum-barr-review
Trump delegates declassifying power to Barr: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/us/politics/trump-barr-declassify-intelligence.html
