An extraordinary moment (and that's saying a lot)

These guilty verdicts are terrible news for our democracy. They're a reminder of how corrupt and dangerous the Trump presidency is. An irrefutable confirmation that Trump's campaign was run by a criminal, and that Trump's longtime personal lawyer acted criminally at Trump's direction. Dear MoveOn member, This will be a moment to remember: Paul Manafort. Michael Cohen. 16 guilty verdicts.1 Last night, only minutes apart, Donald Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort was convicted of eight felonies, and Trump's personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight crimes—including two counts of Trump directing him to pay off women for the "principal purpose of influencing [the] election."2 And only minutes later, Trump once again called Robert Mueller's investigation—which has led to these guilty verdicts and pleas, as well as further guilty pleas and dozens of indictments, including charges against Russian agents—a "witch hunt."3 Let's be really clear about one thing: These guilty verdicts aren't cause for celebration. They're terrible news for our democracy. They're a reminder of how corrupt and dangerous the Trump presidency is. An irrefutable confirmation that Trump's campaign was run by a criminal, and that Trump's longtime personal lawyer took criminal actions at Trump's direction. And this news underscores just how crucial it is that the Mueller investigation be protected from a president who is so clearly terrified of what it is uncovering—and from his cronies in the Republican Party who are willing to throw our democracy under the bus to defend their president. We have been preparing for this—but now more than ever, we need your help to fight back. We're getting ready to take to the streets if Mueller is fired. We're working to stop Brett Kavanaugh—a Supreme Court nominee who says that presidents are above the law. And we're preparing to defeat Trump's Republican cronies who are obstructing the Mueller investigation to protect Trump. Can you chip in $5 a month to help enable MoveOn to respond to all of these escalating threats? [Yes, I'll chip in monthly and make sure MoveOn has the ongoing resources it needs to fight back.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( MoveOn is getting ready to take to the streets within hours if Mueller is fired. Over the past year, we have built out a massive campaign to protect the Mueller investigation from interference by Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress. Thanks to our work so far, more than 380,000 people are ready to take to the streets within hours of a direct attempt by Trump to shut down the Mueller investigation. We are working every day to stop the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice to a lifetime appointment while the investigation is ongoing. Because a vote for Kavanaugh is a vote to let Trump fire special counsel Robert Mueller—and get away with it. "I believe," wrote Kavanaugh, "that the President should be excused from some of the burdens of ordinary citizenship while serving in office ... We should not burden a sitting President with civil suits, criminal investigations, or criminal prosecutions."4 He went on to add that presidents should have "absolute discretion" to fire special counsels if that president believes they are "out to get him."5 Kavanaugh must not be confirmed. And we must defeat the Republicans who are obstructing the Mueller investigation at the ballot box. Because, after dozens of indictments, guilty pleas, and criminal convictions in relation to Trump's campaign, Republicans in Congress continue to do everything in their power to protect Trump and his cronies. Here's how: - House Republicans have proposed a bill to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller investigation. - Devin Nunes was caught on tape saying that the GOP must remain in control of Congress, because "we're the only ones" protecting Trump from the investigation.6 - Trump has once again been ratcheting up his rhetoric against Mueller, calling the investigation a "witch hunt."7 - Trump's Supreme Court nominee has argued a sitting president should be above the law.8 Can you chip in $5 a month, so that MoveOn has the resources we need to fight back against these extraordinary revelations? [Yes, I'll chip in monthly and make sure MoveOn has the ongoing resources it needs to fight back.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( MoveOn and our allies are prepared for this fight. We started together last summer when we organized the "Nobody Is Above the Law" network of rapid-response actions that can be launched within 24 hours if Trump fires Mueller or Rosenstein or otherwise attempts to stop the investigation, and now we are in the middle of the biggest midterm election campaign in our 20-year history, to create a real firewall against Trump. With your help, here's what we will do: - Promote and strengthen our rapid-response network. Already, 380,000 participants have RSVP'd to the nearly 1,000 events that will happen within hours if Trump fires Mueller or Rosenstein. - Refine our emergency rapid-response plan. To support our rapid-response network and ensure we are equipped to have nearly 1,000 events within just hours of a firing, MoveOn will quickly hire extra on-the-ground support in key cities, run ads, hire video crews and photographers, distribute signs, and hire security, if needed. - Stop the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Trump should not be able to appoint anyone to a lifetime position while an investigation of this magnitude is ongoing—particularly someone who has a history of claiming that the president is above the law. To win, we need to keep Democrats united and peel off just two pro-choice on-the-fence Republican senators: Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. To do it, we're running a huge day of action this Sunday with partners in all 50 states, organizing additional actions in on-the-fence senators' home states, flooding Congress with calls every single day, and recording videos to make sure the voices of women who would be impacted by Kavanaugh's confirmation are heard in this debate. - Cut through the right-wing media and Trump's propaganda machine. MoveOn will use its megaphone to reach tens of millions through its rapid-response videos, on social media, and even by creating a combo mobile billboard/ice cream truck that will drive around Washington, D.C., and elsewhere displaying the number of indictments in the investigation, guilty pleas, and verdicts so far; will attract press; and will certainly drive Trump and the Republicans crazy. - Invest in a massive midterm campaign to end GOP control of the House and support progressive champions up and down the ballot. This is the most effective way to create a real firewall to protect the Mueller investigation, stop Trump's terrible agenda, and make sure that when the results of the investigation are released, Trump faces real consequences, up to and including impeachment. [Please click here to chip in $5 a month to keep MoveOn strong and able to respond to these escalating threats.]( [Or, if you can't chip in monthly, click here.]( These extraordinary revelations are yet another reminder that this cannot go on. Our democracy is on the line, and it is up to each and every one of us to defend it—because clearly, Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress will not. Thanks for all you do. –Justin, Nick, Julia, Liia, and the rest of the team  Sources: 1. "With Sixteen 'Guilty' Verdicts All in a Row, Hundreds of Thousands Ready to Hit Streets If Trump Issues Pardons or Moves Against Mueller," Common Dreams, August 21, 2018 [ 2. Ibid. 3. "'I feel very sad': Trump reacts to Manafort guilty verdict," The Washington Post, August 21, 2018 [ 4. "Kavanaugh once suggested maybe the Supreme Court got it wrong on Nixon," Vox, July 22, 2018 [ 5. "The President and the Independent Counsel," Brett Kavanaugh, Georgetown Law Journal, July, 1998 [ 4. "Manafort convicted on 8 counts; mistrial declared on 10 others," The Washington Post, August 21, 2018 [ 5. "House Conservatives File Impeachment Articles Against Rod Rosenstein," NPR, July 25, 2018 [ 6. "Devin Nunes, in secretly recorded tape, tells donors GOP majority is necessary to protect Trump: 'We’re the only ones,'" The Washington Post, August 9, 2018 [ 7. "'I feel very sad': Trump reacts to Manafort guilty verdict," The Washington Post, August 21, 2018 [ 8. "Kavanaugh once suggested maybe the Supreme Court got it wrong on Nixon," Vox, July 22, 2018 [ Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us? [Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, . Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to {NAME} on August 22nd, 2018. To change your email address or update your contact info, [click here](. To remove yourself from this list, [click here.](