Do you love your country enough to make 3 phone calls today? Defending Democracy, Step 3.

You need to do something EVERY DAY this week to help bring about an independent investigation into Trump’s possible ties with Russia. Feeling overwhelmed? We’ll take you step-by-step thru the week, with specific advice for people here in New Jersey. (If you missed Step 1 or 2, you can catch up here and here.

Here’s what you’re going to do today — 3 phone calls or letters.

1) Everybody — contact our 2 senators today. Call them or send them a letter (or even better, DO BOTH!). Sen. Booker and Sen. Menendez have both called for an independent investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal. But we need to press them to do even more,  as recommended by the folks at Indivisible. Here are your talking points (try to use your own words if you can — its more effective):

• Thank you for calling for an independent investigation.
• Our national security is at risk. These are not normal times. I want you to take extraordinary measures to help protect our country.
• I want you to stop conducting business as usual in the Senate until a special prosecutor has been appointed by the deputy attorney general. I want you to withhold unanimous consent and filibuster if necessary.
• I want the Senate to refuse to confirm a new FBI director or any DOJ appointments until a special prosecutor has been appointed.

TIP #1: Can’t get through to DC office numbers (beginning with 202)? Try the local office numbers. For Sen. Booker call 856-338-8922 or 973-639-8700. For Sen. Menendez, call 973-645-3030 or 856-757-5353.

TIP #2: Feeling nervous about making phone calls? Call after hours and leave a voicemail.

2) If you have a Republican representative in the House, continue pressuring them to come out in support of an independent commission or special prosecutor.  Contact them again today by phone or letter. One new addition for today — ask them to support a discharge petition to bring the Presidential Tax Transparency Act up for a vote. Here are your talking points (and, again, try to use your own words if you can; it’s a lot more effective):

•  I want an independent investigation into Trump’s possible ties with Russia.
• If your House representative is Frank LoBiondo or Leonard Lance, thank them for speaking out against the president’s firing of FBI Director Comey. (According to the NYTimes, LoBiondo described the firing as “deeply troubling”; Lance said, “The American people deserve a fuller explanation.”)
• I want you to join your 15* Republican colleagues in Congress who have already called for an independent investigation: Rep. Justin Amash (MI), Rep. Mike Coffman (CO), Rep. Barbara Comstock (VA), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL), Rep. Charlie Dent (PA),  Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), Sen. Dean Heller (NV), Rep. Darrell Issa (CA), Rep. Walter Jones (NC), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL), Rep. Steve Knight (CA), Sen. John McCain (AZ), Rep. Tom McClintock (CA), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN).
• I want you to support the discharge petition to bring the Presidential Tax Transparency Act (HR 305) up for a vote in the House.

*Since we published our call-to-action on Monday, 4 more Congressional Republicans have called for an independent investigation!

If you have a Democratic representative in the House, call or write them today and urge them to support the discharge petition to bring the Presidential Tax Transparency Act up for a vote in the House. Here are your talking points (remember, using your own words is more effective):

• Thank you for supporting an independent investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal. (All of New Jersey’s Democratic House representatives have called for some kind of independent investigation.)
• Please support the discharge petition to bring the Presidential Tax Transparency Act up for a vote in the House.

(UPDATE, 5/17/17: The deputy attorney general has appointed a special counsel! Thanks to everyone who has been making phone calls and writing! ) If you have extra time today, take 3 minutes or less to call or send a letter or postcard to deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who will be appearing before the entire Senate tomorrow afternoon (May 18th). Tell him: “Be a patriot and stand up for our country. Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Trump-Russia scandal NOW!” Call 202-353-1555 or write to: Office of the Dep. Attorney General, Dept. of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20530-0001.

LEARN MORE

• about the 3 types of independent investigations
• about how senators can stop business as usual in the senate
• about why Trump’s firing of Comey is worrisome to experts
• about why Trump’s sharing of top secret info with the Russians is worrisome to experts
• about the Presidential Tax Transparency Act (HR 305)
• about Indivisible’s recommendation of the Presidential Tax Transparency Act
• about how every member of Congress has responded to Comey’s firing