Answering your questions: Holding Trump accountable, attacking left-wing organizations, and what we can do to fight back

September 30, 2025

As I recently wrote, I am very concerned that we have been falling into normalcy far too quickly. The indictment of James Comey, troops heading into Portland, and another major tech giant capitulating should be shocking.

But we’ve seen this all before. It is too easy to see this as just another day in Trump’s America. However, that doesn’t mean we should stop fighting. It must reinforce our reason to fight.

That’s why I take the task of answering your questions so seriously. From suing the Trump administration to seeking out resources, your actions and passion for our democracy will be what help our nation survive this dark chapter.

Thank you for staying in the fight. As long as you have questions, I will be here to answer them.

Now let’s get into it.

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Q: The DOJ and Republicans in Congress have been captured by Trump and MAGA. They are being weaponized against political opponents. Is there any way citizens can file criminal charges against a federal actor when the DOJ fails to act, or otherwise compel the government to honestly prosecute wrongdoers?

— Peter

A: Citizens cannot file criminal charges against a federal official. That power remains exclusively with the DOJ. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have any power. Citizens can report allegations of misconduct or criminality and publicize them. They can also file civil lawsuits, which have already been a powerful tool to hold the administration accountable. Finally, state prosecutors have additional tools that they can deploy.

None of these is the perfect answer to the challenges we face. But we cannot let the unavailability of every remedy make us feel powerless to use the tools we have.

Q: I am deeply concerned that the investigation of ActBlue could trigger a “citizenship review” from Stephen Miller. Will that derail the midterm elections?

— Anonymous

A: The Trump administration wants to target ActBlue for the same reason it is targeting other institutions — because they think it will help them hold power and undermine Democrats’ chances in 2026.

Let’s start with the obvious: anyone who contributes more than $200 to a federal candidate is publicly disclosed to the Federal Election Commission. That data — including the person’s name, mailing address, occupation, and employer is already public. In addition, ActBlue and campaigns already follow FEC rules to protect against foreign donations.

In terms of the 2026 elections, I am far more worried about the DOJ’s effort to collect state voter file lists. The DOJ is already suing eight states that have refused to provide this sensitive voter data. And my law firm is intervening in several of those cases to protect voters.

Q: Considering the full-bore gerrymandering efforts, voter suppression legislation, and courtroom strategies by Republicans, are there any organizations at work to mobilize the Democratic vote?

— Jack

A: Yes, there are many organizations working to organize Democrats and to fight back against the tactics you list. Let’s start with the Democratic Party itself. Every day, national, state, and local parties are hard at work building grassroots support in their communities.

Then, of course, there are the candidates and campaigns. Find a candidate — statewide, congressional, or local — that you support and contact them to see how you can help.

In addition, there are many organizations — some that operate in all or most states — like Swing Left, Indivisible, Vote Save America, and NextGen America to mobilize voters. Others operate within a single state or help organize a specific community within a state.

Finally, don’t ignore the work that individual voters do by using their own platforms to spread accurate voting information, combating voter suppression in their communities, and turning out voters in their own friend groups.

All of these are critical to the fight for democracy in 2026.

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