Category Archives: chicanery
“Foreign spending in our elections is a threat to our national sovereignty”
FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub with this WaPo oped:
Concerns about foreign attempts to intervene in our political system date back to the founding of our republic. As chair of the Federal Election Commission, I am gravely concerned about ongoing… Continue reading
I Testified at House Judiciary Committee on Foreign Interference in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and the Implications of the Mueller Report and President Trump’s Statements Welcoming 2020 Foreign Help
My Written Testimony begins:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to speak about a matter that is among the greatest concerns I have had in twenty-five years of researching and teaching about American election law and… Continue reading
“Trump said it’s OK to take campaign dirt from foreign powers. Is it legal?”
LAT:
Does receiving ‘dirt’ on an opponent count?Daniel P. Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University, said he did not believe so.“My view is that an in-kind contribution has to have some determinate economic value,” he said.Brad Smith,… Continue reading
“Russia’s election interference is no longer a surprise. It should still infuriate.”
“We still have questions about whether Russia meddled in N.C. That’s a bad sign.”
“Trump says supporters might ‘demand’ that he serve more than two terms as president”
WaPo:
President Trump on Sunday floated the possibility of staying in office longer than two terms, suggesting in a morning tweet that his supporters might “demand that I stay longer.”The president, who will kick off his reelection campaign on Tuesday… Continue reading
Must-read Politico Deep Dive into Brian Newby, a Kobach Protege Who is Causing Major Problems with Election Administration as Executive Director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Read this quite damning portrait:
A tiny federal agency that plays a crucial role in assisting the nation’s local election supervisors is gripped by a leadership crisis that hassparked concerns that it is unprepared to play its role in… Continue reading
“Unenforced Campaign Laws Will Be Broken Again”
Watch Trevor Potter and Shan Wu Talk About the Illegality of Accepting Foreign Government Assistance in American Campaigns
Here on the News Hour (beginning around the 11 minute mark).
“‘Let me make something 100% clear’: FEC chair lays down the law on foreign help”
Politico:
The head of the Federal Election Commission released a statement on Thursday evening reiterating, emphatically, that foreign assistance is illegal in U.S. elections.“Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office:… Continue reading
“Trump smashed months of FBI work to thwart election interference”
Politico:
Nearly two years ago, FBI Director Chris Wray set up an office tasked solely with stopping the type of Russian interference efforts that infected the 2016 campaign.On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump undercut the whole operation in a matter… Continue reading
“Republican blocks bill requiring campaigns to alert FBI to foreign assistance”
Axios:
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) blocked an effort by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to pass a bill via unanimous consent requiring campaigns to report any offers of foreign assistance to the FBI.“We are all for free and fair and honest… Continue reading
“Margaret Hunter admits guilt in campaign-finance scandal”
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Years of cavalier spending of her husband’s political contributions culminated in a guilty plea Thursday for Margaret Hunter, the wife of Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter who was co-indicted last year in a sweeping campaign-finance investigation.During a change-of-plea… Continue reading