Today, members of 19 national organizations delivered the signatures of more than 4 million people to members of Congress urging a full investigation into President Trump’s campaign ties to Russia.  The press conference and petition delivery specifically called on members of Congress to support a discharge petition sponsored by Rep. Eric Swalwell and Rep. Elijah Cummings to create an independent commission to investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.  

The action comes on the heels of the March for Truth held June 3rd and in anticipation of former FBI director James Comey’s testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, June 8th. 

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Rep. John Sarbanes (MD-03), Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-22) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18) and others attended the Capitol Hill event to accept the petitions.  

·         WATCH A LIVESTREAM OF THE ACTION HERE:  https://www.facebook.com/moveon/videos/10154474034510493/

“Americans have a right to know. There are simply too many unanswered questions about Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, and the American people deserve answers that will only come when Congress names an independent commission to investigate this attack on our democracy,” explained Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause. “The White House continues to fight the investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election every step of the way, so it is up to Congress to provide answers to the American people by naming an independent commission that will get to the bottom of things and share its findings publicly.”

“It is increasingly clear that the Trump administration is engaged in a massive cover-up of its inappropriate ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign,” said CREDO Political Director Murshed Zaheed. “We need an independent commission to investigate the full scope of the Trump-Russia connections, Moscow’s interference in our election and the Trump administration’s efforts to hide the truth from the American people.”

“The integrity of our democracy must be prioritized over partisan power games. It’s time for transparency and accountability regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election,” explained Monique Teal, Campaign Director, Daily Kos. “An independent commission offers the best path forward.”

“President Trump has repeatedly abused his power to dismantle transparency efforts, allowing his administration to operate in secret. With the revelation that Russia meddled in our elections, the American people deserve to have faith in the government restored through an independent commission,” added Tiffany Muller, Executive Director of End Citizens United. “Over two million Americans have made their voices heard, now it’s incumbent upon Congress to act and call for an independent commission.”

“Trump has filled his cabinet with industry insiders who are more concerned with lining their own pockets than protecting the American people,” said Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica. “His decision to decimate the EPA raises a serious question: will Trump’s businesses profit from the destruction of the planet? It is past time for Congress to investigate Trump’s conflicts of interest and shed a light on what’s really going on behind White House doors.” 

“Trump’s Saudi arms deal is widely seen as a U.S. seal of approval for escalation of the Saudi-UAE war and blockade which is deliberately pushing Yemen into famine,” said Robert Naiman, Policy Director of Just Foreign Policy. “Trump has refused to provide Congress with information related to the Saudi Air Force’s capacity to avoid attacks on civilian targets in its airstrikes in Yemen. The House Foreign Affairs Committee must do its job and hold a hearing on Trump’s Saudi Arms deal.”

“The Framers of the of the Constitution intended for the legislative branch of the government to provide a check on the Executive. It’s time for Congress to do its job,” said Ben Wikler, Washington Director of MoveOn.org. “Every Senator and Representative took an oath of office, and today, defending the Constitution means establishing an independent commission to investigate what really happened in 2016.”

“If Donald Trump colluded with a hostile foreign power in the U.S. election, it is an affront to our democratic values–and a danger to women everywhere,” said Terry O’Neill, NOW President. “We need to know the whole truth about Trump’s involvement with Russia, and an independent commission is hands down the most effective way to get there.” 

“As the threads of deception become even more tangled in the Russia story, the need for truly independent investigation deepens,” said Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Legislative Affairs at Public Citizen. “The public deserves to know what role foreign governments played in influencing our elections as well as what entanglements our administration might have. Our national safety and the integrity of our democracy is at stake. The President is not above the law, and for the good of our nation it is essential that the truth be revealed.”

“Let’s not kid ourselves. Our democracy will be attacked again in 2018, 2020, and beyond unless Congress does its job and creates an independent commission to make sure interference in our elections cannot happen again,” said Sean Eldridge, founder & president of Stand Up America, a grassroots community of more than a million Americans resisting Trump.

“The future and credibility of our democracy demands that we know everything there is to know about Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the only way we can do that is by establishing an investigative body independent from any political meddling,” added XXX of Win Without War. “Not since Watergate has our democracy, and the institutions that protect it, been in such jeopardy. And what’s even more dangerous is that our national security is at stake.” 

“America’s security depends on having trusted, competent, independent leaders at the top. Yet, since the beginning of the Trump administration, we have seen evidence that undermines our faith that the President and his senior officials are telling the truth about their ties with Russia,” said Erica Fein, Director of Government Affairs at Women’s Action for New Directions. “The only way to restore trust with the American public is to establish an independent commission whose directive is to reveal the truth about Russian influence over the election and the Trump administration.”

Members of Color of Change; Common Cause; Courage Campaign; CREDO Action; Daily Kos; Democracy for America; End Citizens United; Every Voice; Friends of the Earth; Just Foreign Policy; MoveOn.org; National Organization For Women; People Demanding Action; People For the American Way; Public Citizen; Rootstrikers; Stand Up America; Vote Vets; Win Without War; Women’s Action for New Directions; and the Working Families Party participated in the action.