THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS TRUMP’S ATTORNEY, NOT OURS
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…
I agree with Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee that Barr must recuse himself from the Ukraine investigations, and investigations into the origin of the Russia investigation. He misled the public about the Mueller report and he tried to bury the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint. The Attorney General should be working for all the American people, not just Trump.
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 ALL REPRESENTATIVES BUT WALDEN:
I agree with Speaker Pelosi that the Attorney General has gone rogue. We need an investigation about William Barr weaponizing the Department of Justice to protect Trump. He misled the public about the Mueller report and he tried to bury the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint. Barr should be working all the American people, not just Trump.
FOR WALDEN:
Congratulations on your retirement plans. I hope now you’ll support the impeachment inquiry. Moreover, William Barr should be investigated for turning the DOJ into a Trump protection agency. Anyone who enables a criminal, cruel and traitorous president will not be treated kindly by history.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
ACTION THREE: HELP REGISTER VOTERS
Indivisible Oregon is organizing letter-writing parties using Swing Left tools to contact voters whose voter registration data may need updating. Find a letter writing party near you or organize one yourself: https://swingleft.org/events.
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Justice’s mission is to “ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.” But Attorney General William Barr is being criticized for “weaponizing” the DOJ to serve Trump.
Barr mislead the public on the Mueller report. Other examples of Barr using the DOJ to defend Trump include:
- Attempting to keep the whistleblower’s complaint from Congress.
- Being drawn in to Trump’s Ukraine play.
- Using his Justice Department to protect Trump from being forced to reveal his tax returns.
- Confirming Trump’s claim of Obama’s administration “spying” on Trump’s campaign.”
Barr is motivated by two obsessions: To fight “secularists” who have launched an “unremitting assault on religion…” And he has argued for decades that the President has nearly unchecked powers.
Last week, Barr escalated the Russian interference inquiry by converting it into a criminal investigation. Observers say this is a warning to the intelligence community that crossing Trump could be dangerous.
Senate Democrats have called for Barr to recuse himself from the Ukraine investigation. We agree. But he should also be investigated for abuse of power.
SOURCES:
NBC News, Oct. 25, 2019: “Watchdogs inside government blast DOJ for not referring Ukraine whistleblower to Congress“ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/watchdogs-inside-government-blast-doj-not-referring-ukraine-whistleblower-congress-n1071996
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 10, 2019: “At Justice Department, multiple investigations focus on Trump’s pet peeves.” https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-10-10/multiple-justice-dept-investigations-trump-pet-peeves
The Atlantic, Jun 30, 2019: “Why Bill Barr Is So Dangerous – He is using the office he holds to advance his extraordinary lifetime project of assigning unchecked power to the president.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/bill-barrs-
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 6, 2019: “Barr’s Requests for Foreign Help Prompt Backlash in Australia, Italy, U.K. —Opposition lawmakers, intelligence officials question why the attorney general is working outside usual channels in review of Russia-probe origins” https://www.wsj.com/articles/barrs-requests-for-foreign-help-prompt-backlash-in-australia-italy-u-k-11570369938
The New Yorker, Oct. 17, 2019: “William Barr’s Wild Misreading of the First Amendment” https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/william-barrs-wild-misreading-of-the-first-amendment
Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2019: “Democrats’ worst fears about William Barr are proving correct” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/01/worst-fears-about-william-barr-are-proving-correct/
The New Yorker, Sept. 29, 2019: “The Dangerous Position of William Barr” https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-dangerous-position-of-william-barr
