Trump Administration/Executive Ethics

"[S]everely restricting their access to Senators comes across as nothing more than a blatant attempt to limit transparency and Member accountability in what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has billed as a show trial to ostensibly 'clear' President Trump of any wrongdoing," said Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn. "The American people deserve a transparent impeachment trial, but this is one more attempt to deny that to them. These are reporters who interact with Members of Congress every day in the halls of Congress and penning reporters looks like a dog-and-pony show to allow Senators to dodge tough questions."

Keeping reporters in pens and severely restricting their access to Senators comes across as nothing more than a blatant attempt to limit transparency and Member accountability in what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has billed as a show trial to ostensibly “clear” President Trump of any wrongdoing. The American people deserve a transparent impeachment trial, but this is one more attempt to deny that to them. These are reporters who interact with Members of Congress every day in the halls of Congress and penning reporters looks like a dog-and-pony show to allow Senators to dodge tough questions.

Former Trump Administration national security advisor John Bolton’s willingness to testify highlights the need for witness testimony if the Senate is to hold a fair impeachment trial of Donald Trump. In the face of threats by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to move forward with the trial without Democratic support, Common Cause today urged every member of the Senate to commit to a fair and unbiased trial of President Trump – including calling witnesses and returning campaign funds raised for them by the President who will be the defendant on trial. The letter emphasizes that Senators who do not return those campaign contributions should recuse themselves from the trial.

Sandy Ma, the executive director of Common Cause Hawaii, said Gabbard’s votes aren’t representative of the people in her district. She said Gabbard “shamed herself.” “In Hawaii, our constituents, the public in Hawaii, especially Representative Gabbard’s constituents, have been very vocal in saying that President Trump has violated his oath of office, has violated the rule of law and has violated the U.S. Constitution,” Ma said.

The American people deserve a fair trial of the impeached and disgraced President in the United States Senate – not a show trial to attempt to excuse the abuses of office which led to President Trump’s impeachment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP colleagues must put the interests of the nation before the interests of their political party. If Senator McConnell honestly believes that President Trump is innocent of the high crimes for which he was impeached by the House then he should agree a fair trial.

Boston's rally was bipartisan, with not only Democrats invited to speak but also former Massachusetts Republican Gov. William Weld, who is challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, said Pam Wilmot, the executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, one of the organizers. "We want to demonstrate that people care about this, that the rule of law is important and that our country will not stand for a fake trial and just sweeping this under the rug," Wilmot said. "This is a serious matter. It should not be about politics." She said she was worried about the kind of trial the Senate would hold, given McConnell's statements. "If we let it go now, it will become the norm or at least much more acceptable and that’s not good for America," she said. … In Los Angeles, at the rally across from City Hall, Katie Hill, the former Democratic congresswoman who resigned earlier this year amid allegations of an affair with an office staff member and the online release of intimate photos, spoke along with actress Alyssa Milano. "If we simply turn a blind eye to Trump's behavior or let him walk clean, that is a sign for the next president, and those who follow, that they can get away with abuses of power, obstruction of justice and violating the Constitution,'' Kathay Feng, Common Cause's national redistricting director said. "Staying silent is not an option."