Category Archives: chicanery

North Carolina: “New board gets private preview of Congressional race probe”

February 7, 2019, 7:58 pmchicanery, recountsRick Hasen

AP: A reconstituted North Carolina elections board received a private preview Thursday of what investigators uncovered in their probe of absentee ballot irregularities in the country’s last unresolved congressional race. Chairman Bob Cordle said the new five-member State Board… Continue reading

Potentially Bad News for Trump and Trump Organization: SDNY Still Investigating Michael Cohen for Campaign Finance Crimes

February 7, 2019, 9:19 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Potentially a big deal here: “In particular, the Government represents that aspects of its investigation remains ongoing, including those pertaining to or arising from Cohen’s campaign finance crimes.”A bad sentence for Individual 1 and the Trump Org execs who… Continue reading

“Justice and Homeland Security report finds no foreign interference in 2018 elections”

February 5, 2019, 9:26 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

CBS News: There is no evidence to date of any foreign interference in the 2018 midterm elections, according to a new joint report released by the Justice and Homeland Security Departments on Tuesday. While specific conclusions remain classified, the… Continue reading

“Trump Inaugural Committee Ordered to Hand Over Documents to Federal Investigators”

February 5, 2019, 6:54 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: In the subpoena, investigators also showed interest in whether any foreigners illegally donated to the committee, as well as whether committee staff members knew that such donations were illegal, asking for documents laying out legal requirements for… Continue reading

“Trump-appointed prosecutor focused on allegations of voting fraud by immigrants amid warnings about separate ballot scheme”

February 4, 2019, 7:42 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Deep dive from WaPo: At about 4 a.m. on Aug. 23, federal agents rousted Jose Solano-Rodriguez from his bed in the suburbs of Raleigh. A couple of hours later, three agents knocked on Hyo Suk George’s door as she… Continue reading

“Mueller Could Have More Than Russia on His Mind: There were foreign nationals from many countries surrounding the Trump campaign, argues Brennan Center fellow Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.

February 1, 2019, 3:51 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Interesting.

ProPublica and Lexington Herald-Leader Publish Third of 3 Devastating Articles on Kentucky Secretary of State Grimes

February 1, 2019, 9:40 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

The Curious Case of a Kentucky Cybersecurity Contract: In the months after the 2016 elections, state election administrators spent millions of dollars investigating and addressing the cyber intrusions that had penetrated voting systems in dozens of states. Kentucky Secretary… Continue reading

Today’s Must-Read from ProPublica: “A Onetime Rising Democratic Star Faces Questions About Voter Privacy”

January 28, 2019, 9:05 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

ProPublica: In an appearance on MSNBC in July 2017, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes expressed her vehement opposition to giving voter data to President Donald Trump’s voter fraud commission, which had requested it from election officials in… Continue reading

“Roger Stone’s Indictment Could Be Good News for Donald Trump Jr.”

January 25, 2019, 11:32 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: Why didn’t Special Counsel Robert Mueller charge self-proclaimed dirty trickster Roger Stone with violating campaign finance laws? And what does this say about Donald Trump Jr.’s potential exposure for his Trump… Continue reading

“Roger Stone was in close contact with Trump campaign about WikiLeaks, indictment shows”

January 25, 2019, 7:54 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: A major focus of the probe has been whether Stone coordinated with WikiLeaks or its founder, Julian Assange, as the group published thousands of Democratic emails that prosecutors say were hacked by Russian operatives.Stone was not charged with… Continue reading

“Doug Jones Seeks Inquiry Into Misinformation Efforts in Alabama Senate Race”

January 10, 2019, 8:34 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Senator Doug Jones, the Democrat who was an unwitting beneficiary of misinformation tactics during a special election in Alabama in 2017, asked the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday to investigate the episodes. Mr. Jones made his formal request for… Continue reading

“AP Exclusive: NC election fraud probed long before 2018 race”

January 8, 2019, 4:51 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: Long before accusations of absentee ballot fraud in a small North Carolina county cast doubt on the results of a heated 2018 congressional race, a state elections investigator spent weeks probing whether the man at the center of the… Continue reading

“Democrats Faked Online Push to Outlaw Alcohol in Alabama Race”

January 7, 2019, 9:35 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The “Dry Alabama” Facebook page, illustrated with stark images of car wrecks and videos of families ruined by drink, had a blunt message: Alcohol is the devil’s work, and the state should ban it entirely. Along with a companion… Continue reading

Wendy Button, John Edwards’ Former Speechwriter, Reflects on His Prosecution, and Similar Charges Involving Trump

January 7, 2019, 7:58 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Oped in USA Today.

Election Law Blog

The law of politics and the politics of law