There are some terms that have become so ubiquitous in popular culture as to be rendered meaningless. In 2019, it might feel like “gaslighting” is one of them. But right now, there is no other way to describe what Republicans are trying to do to the American people regarding clearly illegal actions by President Donald Trump.

Trump, Republican members of Congress and other surrogates want us to question what we know to be true: that Trump agreed to a call with newly-elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which he suggested that Zelensky should investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s business dealings in the country in exchange for US military aid. The stakes are far too high to allow Trump and co to be successful. But in order to thwart their efforts, we must take some important steps.

We’re treading familiar ground here: Since day one, the Trump administration has favored fabrications over reality, starting with then-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer disputing the number of people who attended his boss’s inauguration ceremony, right down to Trump’s recent unfounded claim that there’s “a lot of illegal voting going on” in California. It’s not surprising that the whistleblower’s complaint, coupled with a partial transcript of the July call between Trump and Zelensky, have resulted in Trump himself fully denying wrongdoing. But, most depressingly, many of his GOP comrades in the House and Senate are getting in on the action as well.

On Wednesday afternoon, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said, "I’ve looked at the transcript; I don’t see anything there.” Tuesday night, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) tried to convince TV viewers that what Trump did was all above board, to which host Chuck Todd replied, "I'm trying to present this fairly without gaslighting the nation.” And as the situation came to a full boil Wednesday night, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tweeted that it was “a nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger.” A truly masterful turn of phrase.

It’s tempting to dismiss the desperate musings of a party currently backed into a deep, dark corner, but to do so would be at our own peril. Despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s declaration on Tuesday that she supports an impeachment inquiry, this is far from a done deal. The timeline for the inquiry has not yet been set, and the more time that elapses, the more opportunities there are for even our Democratic representatives to be gaslit by their colleagues.

It may feel like this situation is far above our collective pay grade, but we, ordinary citizens, actually play an essential role in making sure impeachment is pursued and the rule of law is upheld. Now is the time to remind our representatives exactly who they work for. Just as the months leading up to the 2018 midterm elections and the fight around saving Obamacare in summer 2017 allowed Democrats to collectively rally round a single, important cause, it’s time for us to tap back into that spirit and make clear that we will only settle for proper impeachment proceedings.

Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Show all 13 1 /13 Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Everyone Trump has fired or forced out John Bolton Trump claimed to have fired Bolton, his national security adviser, while Bolton claimed he offered to resign. An anonymous White House source that Bolton's departure came as a result of the national security adviser working too independently of the president AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Anthony Scaramucci Scaramucci lasted only six days in his role as Trump's communications director before being fired by John Kelly, the incoming chief of staff Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Rick Perry Rick Perry announced his resignation just as he became embroiled in the president's impeachment scandal. The White House said Mr Perry was asked by Donald Trump to work with Rudy GIuliani in regards to Ukraine. AP Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Rex Tillerson Tillerson, Trump's first secretary of state, was fired after a series of clashes with the president over policy Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out James Mattis Mattis served as secretary of defense from the beginning of Trump's administration until retiring on 1 January 2019. However, the president later claimed that he had "essentially fired" Mattis Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out James Comey Comey was fired as director of the FBI early in Trump's presidency after serving in the role for four years prior. His dismissal is widely thought to have been related to the Russia investigation Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Reince Priebus Priebus, Trump's first chief of staff, was forced out after six tumultuous months AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out David Shulkin Veterans affairs secretary Shulkin claims that he was fired, the White House claims that he resigned Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out John Kelly Kelly, Trump's second chief of staff, was forced out after 17 months in office. His departure was a confused affair though it is clear that Trump wanted Kelly out AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Michael Flynn Flynn lasted 24 days as Trump's national security adviser before being fired for lying to the FBI Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Lee Cisna Cisna served as director of citizen and immigration services between October 2017 and June 2019 before being asked to resign amid a major personnel change in the department of homeland security Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Madeline Westerhout Westerhout served as Trump's personal assistant after leaking private information about his family AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Mira Ricardel Ricardel was forced out of her role as Deputy National Security Advisor after first lady Melania Trump publicly called for her to be fired

This requires something that may seem quaint: making phone calls. Personally phoning your congressperson’s office is the most direct way to either thank them for their support of impeachment, or encourage them to get on board. Democrats in the House currently favor impeachment by a slim majority, with 17 members holding out. Regardless of where your representative stands, they need to hear from you consistently until Trump is on the witness stand.

When Trump stood behind a podium on Wednesday at a press conference (supposedly to defend himself), MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace cut away from his languid remarks, saying, “We hate to do this, really, but the president isn’t telling the truth. These allegations against Joe Biden and Hunter Biden have been investigated by the Ukrainians… [who] view this issue as investigated and adjudicated. And what’s amazing is what Trump appears to be trying to do is turn his impeachment into a big deflection.” It’s moments like these that remind us all of the importance of stopping a display of gaslighting before it can really take hold.