Activists in support of impeaching President Trump planned to hold nationwide protests Saturday as pressure grows on Congress to consider pursuing his removal from the White House.
Organizers of the “Impeach Trump” day of action said more than 120 events were scheduled to take place in cities and towns across the country.
“Donald Trump’s abuses of our communities and country demand action from Congress, which has the responsibility and authority to hold Trump accountable. The next crucial step is an inquiry into whether to draft articles of impeachment,” they said on their website, Impeach.org.
The effort is spearheaded by MoveOn, a left-leaning activism group formed in 1998 to oppose Republican-led efforts to impeach former President Bill Clinton.
More than 20 years later, the group that previously urged Congress to censure Mr. Clinton and instead “move on” to more pressing issues has taken a drastically different stance with the current president.
“The time is now to push every member of Congress to act on behalf of the constituents, country and Constitution and begin impeachment now,” reads a message on MoveOn’s website advertising the day of action.
Nearly two dozen groups have partnered with MoveOn to organize the events, including the Need to Impeach political action committee and Women’s March, among more than 20 others.
Calls for Congress to impeach Mr. Trump has persisted throughout his presidency, albeit particularly following the recent conclusion of the special counsel’s investigation into the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which was broadened to consider whether Mr. Trump committed obstruction of justice.
Robert Mueller, a former FBI director appointed special counsel, said Department of Justice policy prevented prosecutors from criminally charging Mr. Trump, prompting pleas for lawmakers to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Several presidential hopefuls seeking to run against Mr. Trump in 2020 have since come out in support of impeachment, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, both Democrats.
Rep. Justin Amash, Michigan Republican, recently became the first member of Congress from Mr. Trump’s own party to say pursuing impeachment would be appropriate in light of the Mueller report’s findings.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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