LOS ANGELES (CNS) - MoveOn and Common Cause will hold a series of rallies across the country and in Los Angeles County today to call for the impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump from office.
The rallies, set locally for 5:30 p.m., will take place one day before the House of Representatives votes on two articles of impeachment against Trump, alleging he abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress.
The House Judiciary Committee approved the two articles Friday and the full chamber is expected to approve them, sending the impeachment process to the Republican-dominated Senate for a trial.
Rallies in Los Angeles will take place at:
-- Grand Park, across the street from Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Grand Ave. According to the organizer's website, www.impeach.org, more than 3,400 people have signed up to attend the rally.
-- West Hollywood Park, 647 N. San Vicente Blvd., with about 1,000 people registered to attend.
-- Burbank Five Points Art Monument, 1100 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank, where about 300 people have signed up to attend.
-- Sherman Oaks Galleria, 15301 Ventura Blvd., with about 1,000 registered.
-- At 5 p.m., Kersting Court in Sierra Madre, off Sierra Madre Boulevard and North Baldwin Avenue. About 500 have signed up to attend.
-- Tongva Park, Ocean Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, Santa Monica, where about 100 have signed up to attend.
Additional rallies can be found online.
Katie Hill, the former Democratic 25th District congresswoman who resigned earlier this year amid allegations of an affair with an office staffer and the online release of intimate photos, is expected to speak at the Grand Park rally along with actress Alyssa Milano.
``If we simply turn a blind eye to Trump's behavior or let him walk clean, that is a sign for the next president, and those who follow, that they can get away with abuses of power, obstruction of justice and violating the Constitution,'' California Common Cause Executive Director Kathay Feng said. ``Staying silent is not an option.''
Trump, who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and assailed the campaign against him as a ``witch hunt'' and a ``hoax,'' on Tuesday sent a six- page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasting the impeachment effort.
``This impeachment represents an unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power by Democrat lawmakers, unequaled in nearly two and a half centuries of American legislative history,'' Trump wrote.
He insisted the Articles of Impeachment against him ``include no crimes, no misdemeanors and no offenses whatsoever.''
``By proceeding with your invalid impeachment, you are violating your oaths of office, you are breaking your allegiance to the Constitution and you are declaring open war on American Democracy,'' Trump wrote.
Josh Rubenstein, spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said the department is aware of the rallies.
``We will ensure every Angeleno's First Amendment rights are protected,'' Rubenstein said. ``We are prepared to deploy resources in response to any issues that may arise.''
On Saturday, a confrontation erupted when anti-impeachment protesters disrupted an event in Glendale featuring Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank.
Schiff was speaking at a town hall celebrating the recent passage of a bipartisan bill he co-authored recognizing mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide.
Shortly after he took the podium, a group of pro-Trump protesters started shouting and calling him a liar. Organizers of the event tried to calm them down, but police eventually removed the demonstrators from the room.
Schiff is the chair of the House Intelligence Committee and was a central figure during the impeachment inquiry earlier this month.