Democrats believe President Donald Trump will take action to stop the Russia investigation this weekend and are contacting local organizers around the country to plan protests, leaked emails to The Daily Caller News Foundation show.
Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes sent an email out to field organizers in Norwalk and other towns in his home state Friday outlining his concerns that the president will fire either Attorney General Jeff Session, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, or special counsel Robert Mueller.
A source connected to the Himes campaign told TheDCNF that the Democrats need “contingency plans” set up in case Trump takes action. The same source said other Democrats nationwide are sending similar notices out to staff members as well.
The leaked email, authored personally by Himes, says that the congressman believes “that in the next 48 hours, it is more likely than not that the President acts against Attorney General Sessions, Deputy AG Rosenstein, and/or Special Counsel Mueller. His intent will be to end Mueller’s investigation.”
It is not clear how Himes has gotten this impression, but it should not be seen as an effort to drum up the base or as a fundraising effort.
“I have a hard time believing that Jim would send this out without being 85 percent certain” about the firings, the source told TheDCNF.
Himes also writes that he believes it is “likely that the President will order an attack on Syria” this weekend.
“In both cases, constitutional order and rule of law are at stake. As a consequence, it is important that we speak and act in a coordinated manner,” Himes wrote to Connecticut party officials, referencing the need for organizers to begin planning.
In the case of the president ending Mueller’s investigation, Himes told confidants that “Congress must act immediately to require the preservation of all documents and work product, and to re-establish the investigation via statue,” adding that “this must be the sole initial priority.”
As Congress acts, Himes calls for “organized, persistent and peaceful demonstrations with a clear demand must be the goal.” Democrats are organizing protests in small towns and cities, not just locations like Washington, D.C., and New York City, according to emails seen by TheDCNF.
The firing of any Department of Justice officials will come in tandem with “an attack on Syria,” which “will likely be undertaken rapidly and remotely.” The congressman also notes that he believes “such an attack would be unconstitutional,” but that “Presidents of both parties have done violence to the requirement that Congress authorize non-defensive military action,” referring to both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
Himes ends his email with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln and a call for action. “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed,” he wrote before adding, “You’ve proved Lincoln right several times in the last 14 months,” referring to previous anti-Trump protests. “It may be time to do it again.”
Progressive organizations like MoveOn have also been working with Democratic Party officials over the last 48 hours to assist in any potential protests. Members of both organizations refer to the demonstrations as the “Mueller Firing Rapid Response event,” according to documents viewed by TheDCNF
Trump has repeatedly signaled his frustration with the direction of the Mueller probe. After FBI investigators raided Cohen’s office Monday, the president described the incident as “disgraceful” and an “attack on our country.”
Previous reports have alleged that Trump has often times expressed his desire to end the investigation, believing it has expanded far beyond its initial scope and that it is a “witch hunt.”
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