More than 100 events are planned across the country on June 15 to call for the initiation of an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, Common Dreams reports. A coalition of progressive advocacy groups, including lead organizers MoveOn and By the People, issued the call to action on Friday, encouraging public participation in a demand that the House of Representatives move forward on the issue.
“Donald Trump has broken the law, violated the constitution, and put the safety and future of the American people at risk,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, who is a spokesperson for By the People. “But by now, it is clear that Congress won’t act unless we demand it.”
“We need to take to the streets in every neighborhood in America to defend democracy,” she added. “Join us on June 15 across the country — from the biggest cities to the smallest towns — as we make the urgent call for Congress to act and begin an impeachment inquiry now.”
The events will unfold across the country, taking on a number of different forms. Some will include public readings of statements made in favor of impeachment by lawmakers such as Representative Rashida Tlaib, the Democrat from Michigan. Tlaib is also expected to speak personally at one such event, taking place in Detroit.
June 15. We’re taking to the streets nationwide to #ImpeachTrump .
Join us: https://t.co/vzJVM0hKG0 pic.twitter.com/VZu4m8qLhD
— Women’s March (@womensmarch) June 5, 2019
As Axios reports, 58 Democrats in the House plus one Republican, Justin Amash of Michigan, have so far expressed public support for impeachment. Even so, the beginning of such proceedings still faces a number of substantial obstacles. In addition to another 158 votes required in the House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has so far been steadfast in her opposition of going down that road.
Just this week, however, Pelosi faced public pressure from more than two dozen progressive organizations who criticized her for failing to bring the prospect of impeachment forward. A collective statement issued by the group in the form of an open letter to Pelosi called out 10 instances of obstruction of justice identified within special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The letter also cited violations of the emoluments clause, which are described as taking place basically daily, as well as the Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to encourage non-compliance with a number of related congressional subpoenas demanding both documents and testimony.
Further, the letter states, Trump’s policies with respect to immigration, deportation, white supremacy, and LGBTQ issues are sufficient grounds for beginning the steps of removing him from office.
