[H]undreds of protesters across Vermont marched Thursday evening in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, a move some believe is the first step in the process to neuter Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election.
As part of the national Nobody Is Above the Law protests, rallies took place in Brattleboro, Burlington, Castleton, Essex Junction, Manchester Center, Middlebury, Montpelier, Rutland, Springfield, Underhill and Woodstock.
Members of the public and staffers from the offices of all three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation voiced their discontent with Trump’s decision to appoint Matthew Whitaker, Sessions’ chief of staff, as the acting attorney general.
Whitaker, an ally of the president, has been “openly hostile” toward Mueller and has made derogatory comments about the probe on television and written op-eds.
Protesters gathered in front of the federal building in Burlington changing “2,4,6,8, we want Mueller to investigate!” and “who is above the law? Nobody is above the law.” The crowd then marched through downtown, ending in front of City Hall.
“This is scary,” said Earl Mongeon of Westford, who attended the protest in Burlington. “It’s scary our president can pick a lackey who will be a loyalist. We really are on the verge of fascism.”
Speakers demanded Whitaker’s resignation and said Congress must take immediate action to protect the investigation and to ensure Mueller’s final report is made public.
John Tracy, chief of staff for Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., read a statement from the senator, saying he was proud of the people “here today and across our state, and across our country, who are speaking out in support of the rule of law.”
“You are doing your country a great service, and your collective voice may very well prevent a constitutional crisis,” Tracy read out. “We all owe you our sincere thanks and appreciation.”
Former Gov. Madeleine Kunin said Trump’s decision to appoint Whitaker is dangerous for democracy. She said it’s the duty of Americans to show their disapproval.
“We were propelled by the desire to save our democracy,” she said. “That’s what’s at stake here today.”
Kunin added that having Whitaker oversee the investigation was like a “fox defending the hen house,” adding that Sessions was fired for his refusal to recuse himself.
“He said no to a president who only wants his minions to say yes,” she said.
In an interview with VTDigger, Leahy said he hoped the protests across the country would be significant in size because if they were not, it’s “just going to embolden the White House.”
On Trump’s decision to fire Sessions and appoint Whitaker, Leahy said, “There is a great deal of concern if the president used this to kill the investigation or to bottle it up. That just screams Watergate.”
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., echoed Leahy’s sentiment in a statement of his own, saying the public has a right to know if the president broke the law during the 2016 election.
Welch said he is hopeful the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives “will use its subpoena power to shine the light of day on Mueller’s findings and any effort to block the investigation or obstruct justice.”
About 200 people gathered on the steps of the Statehouse in Montpelier– brandishing signs and lit candles.
After 15 seconds of silence for the victims of the shooting in southern California on Thursday, speakers began to address the crowd.
Newly re-elected Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman spoke, saying that though it is unlikely Trump will be removed from office before his term is up, the 2020 election would deliver someone who “believes in democracy” to the Oval Office.
Pointing to the strong voter turnout in Tuesday’s election, Zuckerman said that “two years from now, that wave is going to happen.”
