WASHINGTON -- More than a thousand people gathered near the Washington Monument on Saturday to rally at the March for Truth, calling for an independent investigation into accusations of collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.
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Organizers also used the occasion to celebrate the "resistance" movement against the Trump administration and implored the crowd to stay involved for the long haul.
"We've got to keep up the fight, that's all there is to it," said Jon Lovett, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama and popular podcast host, who spoke at the D.C. rally.
Thousands more protested in more than 100 cities across the country, including New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago -- and in Rogers.
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The March for Truth protesters called for an independent commission, appointed by Congress, to investigate Russian efforts to sway the election.
The U.S. Justice Department has appointed a special counsel with a similar purpose, but that investigation is still under an executive department controlled by the president, protesters argued.
The chants at the D.C. march took specific aim at what the protesters believe have been White House attempts to cover up its connections with the Russian government.
"The Rosenstein memo was phony, we want testimony from Comey!" the protesters chanted, criticizing Trump's decision to fire the director of the FBI after receiving a recommendation from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
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"That firing was abrupt, what are you covering up?" another chant went.
Most people at the March for Truth in Washington traveled from D.C. and the surrounding suburbs, but a handful made an overnight trek from farther states.
"I wanted to be part of the crowd, to make it larger and make a statement," said Odell Buggs, a 53-year-old small business owner who traveled from Rochester, N.Y., with her two sisters. She also drove to the nation's capital for the Women's March, Tax March and Climate March. "Because if you make a statement in D.C., you make a statement to the whole country."
Earlier in the day, a much smaller counterprotest in support of Trump unfolded in front of the White House, where dozens gathered to applaud the president's contentious decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
The organizers of that rally -- the Fairfax County GOP and the Republican Party of Virginia -- dubbed the gathering the "Pittsburgh not Paris" rally, borrowing a line from Trump's speech on Thursday announcing the withdrawal in which he said, "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."
Rallygoers carried red and white "Make America Great" and blue and white "Promises Made Promises Kept" signs.
Christi Branch of Waynesboro, Va., said she made the last-minute trip to the nation's capital to show her support for Trump.
"I just wanted to be here to support my president and the promises made and the promises he kept," she said.
Nearby, another group gathered to blast Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris accord. Speakers urged attendees not to be discouraged by the president's decision, urging them to stay active and even consider running for office. One man carried a sign that said "Pittsburgh and Paris."
But it was the March for Truth that drew the biggest crowds of the day. In addition to Lovett, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and activist Linda Sarsour were also among the speakers.
The participants carried signs that called for Trump's impeachment and depicted Trump as a puppet being controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In his speech, Raskin listed some of Trump's advisers and staff members -- Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and Michael Flynn -- and detailed their alleged connections to Russia.
"We don't know all the facts yet, but we know this much," Raskin said. "Donald Trump has a staff infection and it's spreading every day."
The sentiment also was aired in Northwest Arkansas.
In Rogers, 130 people attended a March for Truth rally, where speakers said voters of all parties should demand the full truth about Russian intervention in the presidential election.
"Jesus said it best: 'The truth shall set you free,'" said Robb Ryerse, 42, of Springdale, who has announced that he will run for the U.S. House seat held by incumbent Steve Womack of Rogers.
Patrick Creamer, spokesman for Sen. John Boozman, said Saturday that the protesters were asking for something that would be redundant with the special counsel's investigation, which Boozman has said he supports "as a good step toward restoring public confidence." Boozman is the senior, ranking member of the state's congressional delegation.
Speakers at the event, including state Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, said Congress should perform its oversight role and not depend on the executive branch to police itself.
Ryerse agreed, saying that if members of the Arkansas delegation won't do that, voters should "hold them accountable in the Republican primary in May of next year."
Information for this article was contributed by Perry Stein and Lori Aratani of The Washington Post and by Doug Thompson of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A Section on 06/04/2017