| Dear Katy, We're making it happen. Yesterday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally endorsed a formal impeachment inquiry. It took months of organizing and massive public pressure and it couldn't have happened without CREDO members and our progressive allies. We're grateful and inspired but we can't stop now. House Democrats have the power to move with speed and purpose toward a full floor vote on articles of impeachment by November 15 – but we need to keep up the pressure. Can you add your name today? Tell the House Democrats charged with leading on impeachment: No more slow walking. Get articles of impeachment on the House floor for a vote by November 15. Click here to sign the petition. It has taken far too long to get to this point, and there are still some gaping holes in Democrats' plans. Timing: Until now, Democrats have done far more foot-dragging than leading. With no commitment to an end date, there is a serious risk of "running out the clock" while Trump continues to escalate his abuses of office. Speaker Pelosi should cancel the October recess to keep the momentum moving on impeachment; the Judiciary Committee should schedule a final vote on articles of impeachment no later than November 1, 2019; and the full House must vote no later than November 15. Scope: The inquiry should not be limited to the Ukraine revelations, or the Mueller report, but should include the full range of Trump's impeachable offenses. These include: abuse of power to undermine the freedom of the press and to investigate and prosecute political adversaries and critics; corruption of elections; abuse of office to foment and act on racism; and corruption and self-enrichment. Staffing: As Rep. Ted Lieu pointed out this week, "Trump has around 30 attorneys working to defy Congress & the American people. Our House Counsel staff is tiny in comparison."1 The Democratic majority must do everything it can to increase the capacity of the committees to hold fully staffed public hearings in October. Power: To date, Trump's lackeys have obstructed Democrats' investigations at every turn, but Democrats have not levied any serious consequences for their contempt. Congress has an explicit power – inherent contempt – to compel witnesses to cooperate.2 Democratic committee chairs need to start holding Republican witnesses accountable if they refuse to participate. The momentum is clearly on our side, but we will not win if we don't demand bold, strategic leadership from Speaker Pelosi and the chairs of the six committees conducting the impeachment investigation. The more of us who add our names, the louder our voices will be demanding we finally get the leadership we deserve. Click the link below to add your name today: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/impeach-inquiry-next-steps?t=9&akid=34215%2E12967895%2Ebv_ZZg Thanks for everything you do, Thaís Marques, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Rep. Ted Lieu, "Tweet," Sept. 23, 2019.
- Jack Quinn, "If contempt of Congress can't be enforced, then Congress isn't a co-equal branch," The Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2019.
Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images | 
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