Category Archives: chicanery

“Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel will take ‘a more expansive look’ at the now-defunct GAB”

December 24, 2017, 12:47 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: State Attorney General Brad Schimel said he will be taking “a more expansive look into whether there were other illegal activities going on” at the now-defunct Government Accountability Board. Schimel made his comments about the old GAB during… Continue reading

HuffPost on Tom Farr: “Trump Judicial Pick Disputes Allegation That He Lied To Senate About Voter Intimidation Plan”

December 21, 2017, 12:11 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

HuffPost: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) asked Farr to clarify what he knew about the scheme, and Farr responded on Tuesday, disputing Hebert’s recollection. Farr acknowledged, however, that he participated in a meeting about “ballot security” just before the 1990 election.… Continue reading

Alabama: “Secretary of State John Merrill: No voter fraud”

December 21, 2017, 12:08 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

FOX10: In a press release Thursday morning, Secretary of State John Merrill said the man who was the subject of a voter fraud investigation is, in fact, a registered voter in the state of Alabama. Read the full press… Continue reading

“Russian trolls went on attack during key election moments”

December 21, 2017, 12:04 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NBC News: Thousands of Russian trolls targeted national events during the 2016 U.S. presidential election to infiltrate the online conversations of millions of Americans, according to a new analysis of a database of recovered troll tweets by NBC News. The… Continue reading

“Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Election Systems from Cyberattacks”

December 21, 2017, 11:59 amcampaigns, chicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Release: Lawmakers in the Senate introduced legislation today that would help states prevent cyberattacks on election infrastructure and enhance confidence in vote totals from electronic voting machines. The bill comes amid ongoing revelations about Russia’s unprecedented attempts to interfere in… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “Erin Grunze: Call off attacks on Election Commission staff”

December 21, 2017, 11:54 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Oped from head of Wisconsin’s League of Women Voters: It is troubling to see the John Doe investigations and fallout back in the news, as it has escalated to the point where legislative leaders are calling for Elections Commission Administrator… Continue reading

“Protect Democracy Releases Legal Memo on Constitutional Prohibition Against Delay of Elections for Partisan Purposes”

December 14, 2017, 6:45 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Memo. More at Take Care: In all of the discussion about the political ramifications of yesterday’s special election in Alabama, let’s not lose sight of the most important point: there was an election. That shouldn’t be taken for granted. … Continue reading

“Doubting the intelligence, Trump pursues Putin and leaves a Russian threat unchecked”

December 14, 2017, 6:38 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Extensive WaPo report: Nearly a year into his presidency, Trump continues to reject the evidence that Russia waged an assault on a pillar of American democracy and supported his run for the White House. The result is without obvious parallel… Continue reading

“Veterans charity raises millions to help those who’ve served. But telemarketers are pocketing most of it.”

December 13, 2017, 7:44 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Unconscionable. (more here)

“Brad Schimel Strikes Out Again”

December 13, 2017, 7:41 amchicaneryRick Hasen

The latest on Wisconsin’s never ending John Doe controversy.

“Facebook and the New Red Scare”

December 12, 2017, 8:06 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

David Keating and Paul Jossey in The Hill: Various interests have seized on Russian chicanery to push “reforms” lacking priority in less neurotic times. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter seeking new rules… Continue reading

“No Deal: How Secret Talks With Russia to Prevent Election Meddling Collapse”

December 9, 2017, 2:22 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

BuzzFeed: The Trump administration has rejected a sweeping Russian proposal seeking a mutual ban on foreign political interference, three senior US administration officials tell BuzzFeed News. Russia first broached the subject in July, when one of Vladimir Putin’s top diplomats… Continue reading

“Lobbyists Ask for Votes. Some Lawmakers Want Much More.”

December 8, 2017, 3:01 pmchicanery, lobbyingRick Hasen

What a lede on this NYT story; Vanessa Alarid was a lobbyist in New Mexico when she asked a lawmaker over drinks one night if she could count on his support for a bill that appeared to be coming down… Continue reading

“10 Month Sentence For Bloomingburg Developer In Voter Fraud Case”

December 7, 2017, 6:25 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

The latest: It will be ten months in prison, a year of supervised released, 400 hours of community service and a $200,000 fine for Bloomingburg developer Shalom Lamm who pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to corrupt an election. As… Continue reading