Need to Impeach, the anti-Trump organization backed by California billionaire Tom Steyer, launched a massive TV ad campaign Tuesday calling for the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report.
The 30-second spot will air this week with an initial six-figure ad buy on cable news channels across the country and on digital platforms, likely increasing to as much as $3 million in the coming weeks, said the group.
“The Trump administration is working overtime to hide the truth from the American people because they know that when the American people know the truth, they will demand justice,” Mr. Steyer said in a statement announcing the TV ad campaign.
The launch coincided with Attorney General William P. Barr appearing before a House committee, where he was peppered with questions about the release of Mr. Mueller’s report on the Russia probe.
Mr. Barr said the report would be sent to Congress within a week, with redactions of confidential information such as grand jury testimony.
In the TV ad, Mr. Steyer stands in front of a kitchen counter. A large stack of papers on the counter represents the 400-page Mueller report. Beside it is Mr. Barr’s initial four-page summary of the report in which he said Mr. Mueller did not find sufficient evidence of Trump campaign collusion with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
“Do you really believe Attorney General Barr read a nearly 400-page report in one day? And that his four-page summary is the whole truth?” Mr. Steyer says.
He asks for help in his effort to let the American people see the report and decide for themselves.
“If you think we have a right to read the report for ourselves, you can call the attorney general at this number,” he says. “Our tax dollars paid for the report. Don’t let them cover up the truth.”
The phone number displayed onscreen is connected to a call center for the organization. An operator reads through a script about the Mueller report being withheld and asks for the caller’s name before transferring the call to a Justice Department recorded comment line.
Mr. Steyer, who was spending his fortune on environmental activism before turning his attention to Mr. Trump, eyed a run for the Democratic nomination but announced in January that he would stay on the sidelines.
He launched Need to Impeach in October 2017 with an investment of $40 million. Earlier this year, he committed an additional $40 million toward pushing the impeachment message.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.