Category Archives: chicanery

“Now in Your Inbox: Political Misinformation”

December 13, 2021, 10:58 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Maggie Astor for the NYT: A few weeks ago, Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, falsely claimed that the centerpiece of President Biden’s domestic agenda, a $1.75 trillion bill to battle climate change and extend the nation’s social… Continue reading

“Trump’s judicial campaign to upend the 2020 election: A failure, but not a wipe-out.”

December 5, 2021, 6:18 amchicanery, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

Russell Wheeler, Brookings Institute Wheeler shows that while “Trump’s election litigation efforts failed decisively[,] . . . more judges than is generally assumed found his lawyers’ arguments persuasive.” The key point is that judicial independence is unlikely to be impervious… Continue reading

“Lawyers Risk Their Law Licenses Helping Smarmy Politicians”

December 5, 2021, 5:59 amchicaneryethics reformsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy writes, in the Washington Monthly, about the hard lessons currently being learned by the lawyers who peddled the Big Lie in court. More than just an update on the sanctions that have already been dispensed, Torres-Spelliscy… Continue reading

“Eastman takes the Fifth with Jan. 6 committee”

December 3, 2021, 10:28 amchicanery, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Politico: John Eastman, the attorney who helped former President Donald Trump pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, has asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to a letter he delivered to the Jan. 6 committee… Continue reading

“GOP targets Wisconsin elections system, nonpartisan director”

December 1, 2021, 7:49 amchicanery, election administration, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

Political Wire notes this news item from NBC News. ” Wisconsin Republicans are working to discredit the bipartisan system they created to run elections in the state after President Joe Biden narrowly won last year’s presidential race, making the… Continue reading

“Prosecutors demanded records of Sidney Powell’s fundraising groups as part of criminal probe”

November 30, 2021, 7:05 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryAlleged Campaign Finance ViolationsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post “Federal prosecutors have demanded the financial records of multiple fundraising organizations launched by attorney Sidney Powell after the 2020 election as part of a criminal investigation, according to a subpoena reviewed by The Washington Post. The grand jury… Continue reading

Book Review: “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show”

November 29, 2021, 4:54 amchicanery, Election Meltdown, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Washington Post reviews ABC newsman, Jonathan Karl’s Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show. “Karl’s sobering, solid, account of Trump’s last year in office sheds new light on how the man who lost the presidency nearly succeeded in… Continue reading

“Inside the ‘Misinformation’ Wars; Journalists and academics are developing a new language for truth. The results are not always clearer.”

November 28, 2021, 7:53 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

New Ben Smith NYT column.

Former White House Physician Ronny Jackson “MAGA Congressman Falsely Claims Omicron Variant Is Part of Plot to Rig 2022 Election”

November 28, 2021, 3:56 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Mother Jones: The new coronavirus variant, Omicron—which was first detected by virologists in South Africa—has sparked concerns among public health experts. The United States quickly imposed travel restrictions on certain African countries. Scientists say that much about the… Continue reading

“Iranian Hackers Broke Into Newspaper Publisher Lee Enterprises Ahead of 2020 Election”

November 28, 2021, 3:46 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: Iranian hackers last year infiltrated the computer systems of Lee Enterprises Inc., a major American media company that publishes dozens of daily newspapers across the U.S., as part of a broader effort to spread disinformation about the 2020 presidential… Continue reading

“Steele dossier sources, methods face new scrutiny after indictment of key figure”

November 24, 2021, 7:32 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: When Christopher Steele delivered his first report on Donald Trump’s alleged activities in Russia, including lurid claims about cavorting with prostitutes, the people who had hired the British ex-spy wanted to know that his information was solid.“You… Continue reading

“Mike Lindell Finally Reveals His Supreme Court Complaint, And Critics Have Notes”

November 24, 2021, 7:26 amchicanery, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

HuffPost: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Tuesday released a copy of his long-promised Supreme Court complaint to overturn the 2020 presidential election, though it had not actually been filed and it listed the plaintiff as “[insert your state].”The pillow magnate… Continue reading

“Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims Test Republican Candidates”

November 23, 2021, 7:31 amchicanery, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WSJ: Former President Donald Trump’s yearlong campaign falsely claiming he won the 2020 election and demanding redress is turning voter fraud into a litmus test for Republicans seeking office as the party seeks to reclaim the House and… Continue reading

“House Panel Subpoenas Roger Stone and Alex Jones in Capitol Riot Inquiry”

November 23, 2021, 7:27 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: The House committee investigating the Capitol attack issued five new subpoenas on Monday, focusing on allies of former President Donald J. Trump who helped draw crowds to Washington before the riot on Jan. 6, including the political operative Roger… Continue reading