Category Archives: chicanery

“Like School Shootings, Political Violence Is Becoming Almost Routine”

June 16, 2025, 7:48 amchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: In the past three months alone, a man set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s residence while Mr. Shapiro and his family were asleep inside; another man gunned down a pair of workers from the Israeli Embassy outside an event… Continue reading

My Statement: Thoughts on the Despicable Assassination (and Attempted Assassination) of Minnesota Legislators, the Rise in Political Violence in the United States, and the Threats to Free and Fair Elections

June 14, 2025, 12:18 pmauthoritarian threats in US, chicaneryRick Hasen

Violence directed at innocent people is abhorrent and political violence even more so because it is an attack not just on people but on the institution of democracy itself and an attempt to change government not through elections but through… Continue reading

“New Hampshire jury acquits consultant behind AI robocalls mimicking Biden on all charges”

June 14, 2025, 11:07 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden to New Hampshire Democrats last year was acquitted Friday of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate. Steven Kramer, 56, of New Orleans, admitted orchestrating a message… Continue reading

“Ex-New York Assembly Candidate Charged With Campaign Finance Fraud”

June 13, 2025, 10:24 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: A former New York State Assembly candidate used fake donations and forged signatures to fraudulently inflate the share of public matching funds he received in last year’s election, federal prosecutors said on Friday. The former candidate, Dao Yin, was… Continue reading

“DHS Said to Brief Cleta Mitchell’s Group on Citizenship Checks for Voting”

June 12, 2025, 12:17 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Democracy Docket: A senior official in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) held a briefing for a far-right anti-voting group on Thursday, according to an email sent by the group. The virtual meeting was to discuss how a database run… Continue reading

“Trump lawyers ask appeals court to move his hush money case to federal court”

June 12, 2025, 7:54 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: One year after his criminal conviction in the Manhattan hush money case, Donald Trump is still fighting to shed his felon status. The president’s personal lawyers appeared before a federal appeals court Wednesday, urging a three-judge panel to transfer… Continue reading

“Lawsuit accuses Musk of bribing Wisconsin voters with cash prizes”

June 11, 2025, 7:19 ambribery, chicanery, vote buyingRick Hasen

WaPo: A Wisconsin nonprofit organization focused on fighting for fair elections has filed a legal complaint alleging that billionaire Elon Musk illegally bribed voters by giving out cash prizes this year in his attempt to help conservatives take control of… Continue reading

“Mayor, two other former local officials indicted in south Georgia for election interference in municipal races last year”

May 29, 2025, 12:44 pmchicanery, election administration, residencycriminalization of politics, disqualification, Election InterferenceJustin Levitt

On the same day as the 2024 general election (which was run by the county), municipal elections were scheduled in Camilla, Georgia. There was a firestorm with notable racial overtones about the eligibility of a former city councilmember, who had … Continue reading

“Santos’s Treasurer Avoids Prison for Her Role in His Schemes”

May 28, 2025, 5:33 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryJustin Levitt

To be clear, these are just the campaign finance schemes. And the sentence announced today: probation.

“Donald Trump’s Politics of Plunder”

May 27, 2025, 10:48 pmcampaign finance, chicanery, conflict of interest laws, ethics investigationsdemocratic backsliding, Pay-to-PlayJustin Levitt

Evan Osnos, in the latest issue of the New Yorker, reviews the state of American oligarchy and the First Family’s use of the Oval Office as a private moneymaking machine. One small excerpt: Even seasoned practitioners of Washington pay-to-play have… Continue reading