Do you know what former Obama lawyers are doing to protect us & how to help? Required reading.
Last edited Thu Mar 9, 2017, 05:27 PM - Edit history (1)
This is a group of former administration lawyers and constitutional litigators who are taking critical action, but it requires an engaged and informed public. Please sign up for their email list!
Here is what they are and what they are doing:
What is United to Protect Democracy?
United to Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan nonprofit with an urgent goal: to hold the President and the Executive Branch accountable to the laws and longstanding practices that have protected our democracy through both Democratic and Republican Administrations. We have seen an unprecedented tide of authoritarian-style politics sweep the country that is fundamentally at odds with the Bill of Rights, the constitutional limitations on the role of the President, and the laws and unwritten norms that prevent overreach and abuse of power. The only limits to prevent a slide away from our democratic traditions will be those that are imposed by the Courts, Congress, and the American people.
Who Are We?
United to Protect Democracy was conceived by a group of former White House and Administration lawyers and experienced constitutional litigators, all with a deep understanding of how the federal government works. As we were the ones tasked with implementing and enforcing the norms that have constrained presidential power for decades, we know what those guardrails are and when those in power may be tempted to violate them. As we defended past presidents against legitimate oversight and illegitimate attacks, we also know how to leverage tools outside government to prevent the exploitation of power within it. One thing that we know about those tools, however, is they require an engaged public—they require all of us to unite to make them effective.
What Will United to Protect Democracy Do?
We will monitor, investigate, report on, organize and litigate against any action taken by the Executive Branch that could erode the rules, practices and freedoms that underpin our ability as a self-governing people to hold our leaders accountable. In short, we will unite with Americans from all backgrounds to use every tool at our disposal to protect our democracy.
https://unitedtoprotectdemocracy.org/about/
This is an email they just sent March 8:
In recent days, there have been numerous reports of White House conversations with the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) that raise serious questions about whether the White House is interfering with the traditional independence of those agencies. Any interference in the independent exercise of law enforcement is a profound threat to our democracy.
You signed up for this list to find out about threats to our democracy and what we can do about them. So we’ve prepared a full briefing — just as we would have done for White House staff — on what rules have historically governed White House communications with law enforcement agencies. The full memo is at the bottom of this email; it makes a few key points:
• For forty years, across Republican and Democratic Administrations, White Houses have abided by written policies to prevent the act or appearance of the White House inappropriately interfering in law enforcement functions.
• Reported contacts by the current White House Chief of Staff, the White House Counsel, and other political staff at the White House appear to violate these long-standing policies.
• In order to demonstrate commitment to protecting the traditions of American democracy and upholding the rule of law, the Trump White House must publicly issue a policy on agency contacts that makes clear it will abide by decades of policy and democratic norms.
Since an informed public is an autocrat’s worst enemy, the first thing we need to do is educate more Americans about these rules.
If you know people who would appreciate the briefing below and more like it please forward this email to them and ask them to sign up to unite with us here:
https://unitedtoprotectdemocracy.org/
If enough of us share it, we’ll demonstrate that Americans care about these rules, we’ll build pressure on the White House to abide by them, and we’ll give reporters (who we’re also sharing this with) even more cause to ask the White House to disclose its policy to address our concerns.
But that's not all. We are also filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to find out just what contacts governed by this policy have taken place, and will continue to do so to ensure these longstanding norms are followed.
The outpouring of support we’ve seen for Protect Democracy’s mission has been inspiring — demonstrating that countless Americans are concerned about threats to our democracy and are prepared to stand up and protect it. Let’s share the memo and grow that movement.
In hope,
The United to Protect Democracy Team
NOTE: The briefing they are referring to is too long to copy here. They will send it if you sign up for their email list. If anyone knows a way to attach a PDF, I could make it into one. I don't know how to do that on DU. But this is some very important stuff.
Edit: Just realized I overlooked a link to the entire brief in the (very long) email:
White House Communications with the DOJ and FBI
https://unitedtoprotectdemocracy.org/agencycontacts/?ct=t%28Agency_Contacts_Email_GROUP+B%29
Edited to add this article for more info:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/obama-trump-lawyers-worst-case-235280
Obama lawyers form 'worst-case scenario' group to tackle Trump
Fearful the new administration will abuse its power, the former president’s lawyers are uniting to fight back.
By Edward-Isaac Dovere
02/23/17 0
= new reply since forum marked as read
