Category Archives: chicanery

“Hush-Money Probe Gathered Evidence From Trump’s Inner Circle”

April 10, 2019, 5:53 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office has gathered more evidence than previously known in its criminal investigation of hush payments to two women who alleged affairs with Donald Trump, including from members of the president’s inner circle.Prosecutors interviewed Hope Hicks,… Continue reading

Today’s Must-Read: John Myers’ “Hackers attacked California DMV voter registration system marred by bugs, glitches”

April 9, 2019, 11:03 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

LA Times: California has launched few government projects with higher stakes than its ambitious 2018 program for registering millions of new voters at the Department of Motor Vehicles, an effort with the potential to shape elections for years to come.Yet… Continue reading

Shenanigans Going on with Ohio Ballot Measure Purportedly Aimed at Getting State to Assign Electoral College Votes to the Popular Vote Winner

April 5, 2019, 12:25 pmcampaigns, chicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

John Koza, the force behind the National Popular Vote initiative writes: Ohio news organizations have been trying to identify the mysterious backers of an initiative petition proposing an amendment to the Ohio Constitution requiring the Ohio legislature to guarantee… Continue reading

President Trump Again Questions Fairness of Vote Counting, Based on No Evidence

April 2, 2019, 8:28 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

So worrying: Trump told the NRCC: “We have to be a little bit careful, because I don't like the way the votes are being tallied… You don't like it either, you just don't want to say it because you're afraid… Continue reading

“NC GOP Chairman, Durham Businessman And Others Indicted On Fraud, Bribery Charges”

April 2, 2019, 11:26 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WFAE: North Carolina GOP Chairman Robin Hayes was one of four people indicted in connection with an investigation involving donations made to the state Republican Party.Hayes, a former five-term North Carolina congressman, surrendered himself to authorities and appeared in… Continue reading

“Catch and Kill: Can tabloids hide behind the First Amendment?”

April 1, 2019, 2:54 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Rebecca Beyer for the ABA Journal: One possible defense to any charge of campaign finance violations in the AMI/McDougal deal would come from the Federal Election Campaign Act’s distinction between campaign expenses and “personal use” expenses. (Edwards went with the… Continue reading

“In Ukraine, Russia Tests a New Facebook Tactic in Election Tampering”

March 29, 2019, 8:08 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Campaigning for Ukraine’s presidential election had just begun to heat up when the authorities announced they had thwarted a Russian plot to use Facebook to undermine the vote. Unlike the 2016 interference in the United States, which centered… Continue reading

“Rigged-Election Rhetoric: Coverage and Consequences”

March 22, 2019, 8:49 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Super interesting article in PS by Kirby Goidel, Keith Gaddie and Spencer Goidel. Here is the abstract: Using content analysis and original survey data, we investigated the news coverage and consequences of Donald Trump’s “rigged-election” claims during the 2016 presidential… Continue reading

“Cindy Yang helped Chinese tech stars get $50K photos with Trump. Who paid?”

March 21, 2019, 8:05 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Miami Herald: So who paid Trump Victory for their photos?Yang isn’t saying — but she and three associates with an Asian-American political group donated a total of $135,500 to Trump Victory in the weeks leading up to the event.… Continue reading

“Beware of Scam PACs in This Crowded Presidential Field”

March 19, 2019, 2:36 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy blogs.

“DOJ & FEC Complaints Filed for Apparent ‘Straw Donor’ Contributions to Trump Campaign”

March 19, 2019, 10:15 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Release via email: Today, Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging reason to believe that a Florida businesswoman violated campaign finance laws by enlisting and reimbursing “straw donors” tens of… Continue reading

NYT Reporting Suggests That Cindy Yang Illegally Funneled Contributions Through Conduits to Reach $50,000 Threshold for Picture with Donald Trump

March 16, 2019, 12:42 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

This story is going to get bigger: The Republican National Committee promised an “evening reception with Donald J. Trump” last March at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.A contribution of $2,700 toward the president’s re-election would get you in… Continue reading

Stacey Abrams Now Troublingly Claims She Did Win Her Election (After Earlier Saying Kemp Was The Legal, Though Perhaps Not Legitimate, Winner)

March 16, 2019, 11:14 amchicaneryRick Hasen

This is troubling: https://twitter.com/adamkelsey/status/1106284755610488833 If Abrams actually has now said that she *did* win her election, this is different (and more troublesome) than what she has said in the past. (That Kemp was the legal winner, whether or not legitimate,… Continue reading