Dear MoveOn member,
Tonight, Senate Republicans silenced Senator Elizabeth Warren and banned her from speaking on the Senate floor on a party-line vote.
Why? Because she had the audacity to read, on the Senate floor, a letter written by civil rights icon Coretta Scott King—Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow—opposing the confirmation of Jeff Sessions to a federal judgeship in 1986.
This is nothing less than an attempt to quash dissent and an honest conversation about the racist record of Trump's nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions.
Our response has to be immediate; we've got to show that when Democrats stand up to racism and extremism, attempts to silence them will backfire tenfold.
Click here and donate to Elizabeth Warren's reelection campaign—and we'll make sure that every political reporter in Washington, D.C., knows just how much money Republican censorship raised for a progressive champion willing to stand up to Donald Trump and his Republican enablers.
"Mr. Sessions," the letter from Coretta Scott King said, "has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens."
That was the line that, despite being backed by extensive evidence, was enough to set off Mitch McConnell. He called for a vote on whether Sen. Warren had broken the Senate's rule against impugning the motives and conduct of a fellow senator.
Sen. Warren was incensed. "Mr. President," she objected, "I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate. I ask leave of the Senate to continue my remarks."
But the Republicans overruled her and demanded that she take her seat. Under the archaic rules of the Senate, the Republicans had the power to do it.
Let's turn this outrage into a fiasco for the GOP.
Decades ago, Jeff Sessions used his power to suppress the Black vote. We have every reason to think that if sworn in as attorney general, he'd do the same thing now.
By standing with Elizabeth Warren, we're standing up against that kind of bigotry. We're standing up for freedom of speech. And we're standing up for something else that is under threat in the age of Trump: Truth. Together, let's show that when our friends speak truth to power, a powerful movement rises to stand by their side.
Thanks for all you do,
–Ilya, Jamiah, Jo, Ben W., and the rest of the team
P.S. After chipping in here, you can see the moment as it unfolded and then retweet Sen. Warren's response.
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This email was sent to Eddie Alfaro on February 8th, 2017. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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