This one story gets right to the heart of it.

The rot beneath all the scandals is in plain sight. MoJo Reader, On the same day we announced our new Corruption Project last week, Dan Friedman—MoJo's foreign influence and national security reporter—published [a story]( that gets right to the heart of the crisis, and opportunity, we face. And now that it's my turn to ask you to [help MoJo confront corruption with a tax-deductible donation](, I thought I'd let the reporting speak for itself. Dan's piece, "Cover-Ups Work. Just Ask Donald Trump," is a great case study of what we're trying to do, why it matters, and why I hope you'll decide to support Mother Jones and this project. Go ahead and read [the story]( now—just promise you'll come back to this email if you think we need more journalism like it. Here are the four main reasons I do. 1) THE CORRUPTION ITSELF: Dan documents how Trump used the authority of his office to stymie investigators, and his reporting shows the astonishing level of corruption right there in plain sight. Here's just one example: "By refusing to cooperate with the investigators and using his pardon power and other means to encourage witnesses to mislead investigators or decline to cooperate, the president prevented Mueller from conclusively answering questions about the Trump campaign's interactions with Russia. After more than a year of negotiations between Mueller and Trump's lawyers, the president refused to agree to be interviewed by the special counsel's office. He would only answer written questions about Trump-Russia contacts—but no questions related to any possible obstruction of justice. His written answers revealed little. Trump said more than 30 times that he could not recall in response to specific queries from the prosecutors. The report was blunt: Trump's replies were 'inadequate.'" Why reader support matters here: Widespread corruption is undermining our democracy, and [your donation will help Mother Jones do deep reporting with the goal to understand how we got here and how we might get out](. 2) THE TIME: Dan's blow-by-blow account—his reporting and analysis—takes time. Obviously, he had to read the 448-page report, but what's less obvious is how the fact that he has been singularly focused on the Russia story and foreign influence for almost two years now is absolutely critical to being able to understand and explain what it all means when news breaks. In the current media landscape, there's little time or incentive to take a step back and look at the big picture or become an expert on a beat. The economics of news needs maximum eyeballs at minimum cost and effort—that's why so much election coverage focuses on the horse race or fluff; it's easy and keeps people glued to screens. Because reader support makes up more than two-thirds of our budget, Mother Jones feels less of that pressure and can go deeper, investigating the forces shaping the headlines and adding valuable context to the news of the day. Why reader support matters here: Your donations allow Mother Jones to dig into complex stories, [and give our reporters and researchers the key ingredient to producing revelatory journalism: time](. 3) THE FEARLESSNESS: "[The View From Nowhere](" is an insidious problem in journalism, casting each story, especially in politics, as a contest between partisan extremes, with the journalist's role reduced to chronicling what each side is saying. It enables liars to manipulate the media and the public, whereas connecting the dots with a strong—rigorously fact-checked—point of view, like Dan does, challenges liars: "Mueller was never expected to prove Trump did not conspire with Russia. You can't prove that negative. But the report falls far short of the vindication that Trump claims. Mother Jones counted 37 instances where Mueller's report says it could not 'determine,' 'find,' 'uncover,' or 'establish' facts related to alleged Trump campaign coordination with Russia. These investigative shortcomings resulted in good part from false statements, stonewalling, and questionable memory lapses by key witnesses." Why reader support matters here: As a nonprofit, we don't have risk-averse investors, advertisers, or a corporate parent company to answer to—[your donations give MoJo the independence to call it like it is](. 4) COUNTERING THE "WHITE TABLECLOTH PROBLEM": MoJo's David Corn compares the scandal-ridden Trump administration to spilling red wine on a white table cloth. Normally, doing so would be embarrassing and the stain obvious, but spill on a tablecloth that's already full of stains and it's hardly noticeable anymore. Our Corruption Project looks to build a team across our newsroom, give them a year to investigate, and publish our findings in one big splash. It will include a special issue of our magazine, a series of videos and podcasts, and a dedicated online portal so they're not buried amid the crazy headlines and breaking news—making them harder to spin and less apt to feel like "oh well, another scandal." Imagine reading Dan's piece—or the Mueller report—as the first time we learned the ins and outs of the scandal. It would be utterly shocking. Why reader support matters here: To break through the chaotic headlines, [your donation will help MoJo publish a major series on systemic corruption during the summer of 2020—when it will matter a lot](. One of the things I love most about the MoJo community is that you want the whole picture, so if you'd like to learn more about our new Corruption Project, you can read our plan and the reasoning behind it in "[Corruption Isn't Just Another Scandal. It's the Rot Beneath All of Them](." The full-court press we want to do will cost more than $1.2 million, and we've got seed funding to get started—but [we're looking to our readers to pitch in $500,000 this spring so we can go all in on exposing corruption](, and do all of the other reporting you expect from us. Whether or not you can pitch in today, it's good to know you're with us. Over the next 18 months, we have a unique opportunity to decide what kind of America we want, and we're going to need all hands on deck to confront corruption, fight for the truth, and follow the facts wherever they go. Thanks for reading, and for everything you do to make Mother Jones what it is. Clara Jeffery, Editor-in-Chief Mother Jones P.S. If you've donated in the last several hours, thanks! And please accept our apologies for sending you this friendly reminder. [DONATE]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. 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