Category Archives: chicanery

“Trump posts vulgar deepfake slam of Democratic leaders after White House meeting”

September 30, 2025, 10:49 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: If a government shutdown wasn’t already exceedingly likely, President Donald Trump might have made it a near certainty Monday night. The president posted a vulgar AI-generated deepfake video to his Truth Social slamming the top Democratic leaders — Senate… Continue reading

“YouTube to Pay $24.5 Million to Settle Lawsuit Brought by Trump”

September 29, 2025, 4:50 pmauthoritarian threats in US, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump brought against the company and its chief executive over its suspension of Trump’s account after that year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, according… Continue reading

“In Going After His Foes, Trump Sets a Precedent That Could Haunt His Allies”

September 29, 2025, 7:44 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Peter Baker for the NYT: he indictment of the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey demanded by President Trump sent a shiver of fear through others on the so-called enemies list of the current F.B.I. director Kash Patel. But one… Continue reading

Georgia: “State Election Board consumed by power struggles, political agendas”

September 29, 2025, 7:32 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

AJC: When it’s not busy bickering, the State Election Board keeps trying to insert itself into Georgia’s voting process even after the state Supreme Court reduced its power this spring. The board’s two-day meeting last week was marked by arguments … Continue reading

“Giuliani and Dominion Voting Systems Settle $1.3 Billion Defamation Suit”

September 29, 2025, 7:31 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squad, voting technologyRick Hasen

NYT: The election technology company Dominion Voting Systems settled a defamation lawsuit against Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former lawyer for President Trump and former mayor of New York City, according to court records and the company. The lawsuit was… Continue reading

“Michigan dismissal highlights the challenges in prosecuting cases against Trump’s 2020 fake electors”

September 10, 2025, 7:43 amchicanery, election subversion risk, electoral collegeRick Hasen

AP: Before the abandoned federal attempt to prosecute Donald Trump for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, state and local prosecutors brought cases against his fake electors. The term referred to the people who, in several of the… Continue reading

“Russia Steps Up Disinformation Efforts as Trump Abandons Resistance”

September 7, 2025, 11:47 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has dismantled the American government’s efforts to combat foreign disinformation. The problem is that Russia has not stopped spreading it. How much that matters can now be seen in… Continue reading

Should Representative Ronny Jackson’s Lawyers Be Sanctioned for Filing a Frivolous Federal Lawsuit Attacking California’s Proposed Ballot Measure Redrawing Congressional Districts?

September 6, 2025, 4:27 pmchicanery, redistrictingRick Hasen

This ridiculous complaint went nowhere even before federal district judge Matthew Kascmaryk given that Rep. Jackson could not prove irreparable harm before the ballot measure even passes and given that Jackson failed to give notice to the other side. Here’s… Continue reading

“U.S. Is Increasingly Exposed to Chinese Election Threats, Lawmakers Say”

September 5, 2025, 1:08 pmcampaign finance, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Democratic lawmakers warned on Friday that severe staff cuts at an intelligence office that monitors foreign threats to U.S. elections would leave the country vulnerable to interference and subversion from Beijing, as Chinese companies use artificial intelligence as a… Continue reading

“In Texas, a Senate Race Turns Brutal Before It’s Even Declared; Attorney General Ken Paxton is waging ‘legal war’ against Beto O’Rourke, a possible Democratic rival, threatening jail and an investigation that could bankrupt his organization.”

September 4, 2025, 7:51 amauthoritarian threats in US, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: For the past month, two Texas political titans — the attorney general Ken Paxton and the former congressman Beto O’Rourke — have been locked in an escalating legal drama, complete with threats of jail time, courtroom showdowns and the… Continue reading

“House Republicans form new subcommittee to probe Jan. 6”

September 4, 2025, 7:48 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: House Republicans voted on Wednesday to establish a new subcommittee to reinvestigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, moving to reopen one of the most polarizing chapters in American politics. Lawmakers slipped a resolution into a… Continue reading

Ugh: “Trump’s DOJ seeks voting equipment in Missouri ahead of 2026 election”

September 3, 2025, 3:18 pmauthoritarian threats in US, chicanery, election subversion risk, voting technologyRick Hasen

WaPo: A top official in President Donald Trump’s Justice Department recently sought access to voting equipment used by two Republican clerks in Missouri during the 2020 election, an unusual request from federal officials amid continued efforts by the president to… Continue reading

“How Elon Musk Is Remaking Grok in His Image”

September 2, 2025, 11:00 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk has said Grok, the A.I.-powered chatbot that his company developed, should be “politically neutral” and “maximally truth-seeking.” But in practice, Mr. Musk and his artificial intelligence company, xAI, have tweaked the chatbot… Continue reading

“Trump Family Profits Even With Tepid Launch of Crypto Tokens”

September 2, 2025, 7:43 amchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture known as World Liberty Financial had a tepid first day of open-market trading on Monday, surging in value initially before losing most of those gains. But because of an unusual insider arrangement, the Trump… Continue reading