Category Archives: chicanery

“Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife indicted in use of campaign funds for personal expenses”

August 22, 2018, 7:34 amchicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret, routinely — and illegally — used campaign funds to pay personal bills big and small, from luxury vacations to kids’ school lunches and delinquent family dentistry bills, according to a stinging… Continue reading

“Michael Cohen’s Guilty Plea Directly Implicates Donald Trump in a Felony”

August 21, 2018, 5:22 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: For the first time since the Trump presidency began, President Donald Trump is in some real legal jeopardy, providing potential grounds for his eventual impeachment, if not indictment. Most people watching… Continue reading

“Microsoft says it has found a Russian operation targeting U.S. political institutions”

August 21, 2018, 6:56 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: A group affiliated with the Russian government created phony versions of six websites — including some related to public policy and to the U.S. Senate — with the apparent goal of hacking into the computers of people who were… Continue reading

“NC GOP leader raises possibility of impeaching justices over amendment ruling”

August 17, 2018, 11:49 amchicaneryRick Hasen

News and Observer: The state Republican Party executive director raised the possibility that state Supreme Court justices could be impeached if they ruled against legislative leaders in a lawsuit over constitutional amendments. Dallas Woodhouse made the remarks at an… Continue reading

Sen. Bill Nelson Gets Four Pinocchios for Claims of Hacking into Florida Election System….But Maybe He Doesn’t Deserve It? [Updated]

August 17, 2018, 10:51 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Nelson and Rubio warned Florida election officials to be on high alert for Russian cyber-intrusions. We take no issue with their July 2 letter. Nelson, however, went on to make a specific and alarming claim several times: that Russia… Continue reading

Big: Federal Court in Census Litigation Orders Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore Be Available for Deposition

August 17, 2018, 10:10 amchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

The deposition will help sort out whether DOJ really wanted citizenship info to help bring (non-existent) Section 2 Voting Rights lawsuits or this was a pretext to give Wilbur Ross what he wanted for other nefarious reasons. Court order: Given… Continue reading

“West Virginia’s high court corruption just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to big money’s judicial influence”

August 16, 2018, 2:28 pmchicanery, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Jame Sample for NBC Think: In West Virginia, Justice Robin Davis spent an absurd $500,278.23 in taxpayer dollars on renovating her office alone. Mind you, Davis is the same jurist who, through her husband, sold a $1.3 million Lear … Continue reading

“Better Safe Than Sorry: How Election Officials Can Plan Ahead to Protect the Vote in the Face of a Cyberattack”

August 16, 2018, 7:43 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

New Brennan Center report: Cyberattacks pose a growing threat to our election infrastructure, and while efforts to prevent these attacks are critical, it is as important to ensure preparations are in place to quickly and effectively recover if those efforts… Continue reading

Today’s Must-Read (From Andy Kroll): “Documents Reveal Successful Cyberattack in California Congressional Race”

August 15, 2018, 11:38 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Rolling Stone: FBI agents in California and Washington, D.C., have investigated a series of cyberattacks over the past year that targeted a Democratic opponent of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). Rohrabacher is a 15-term incumbent who is widely seen as the… Continue reading

Defamation and Voting Rights Suit Against Christian Adams and PILF Regarding False Allegations that Voters Were Non-Citizens Survives Motion to Dismiss

August 13, 2018, 3:11 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Here is the order denying the motion to dismiss. Next step will be discovery, which should be interesting. (Press release.)

North Carolina: “Republican legislators violated a candidate’s constitutional rights, judge rules”

August 13, 2018, 10:20 amballot access, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

News and Observer: A judge threw out a new state law Monday, ruling that it violated the constitutional rights of at least two politicians whose 2018 campaigns the law had targeted. Chris Anglin, a Republican candidate for a seat on… Continue reading

“Representative Chris Collins Suspends Bid for Re-election After Insider Trading Charges”

August 11, 2018, 3:01 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Days after federal prosecutors charged him with insider trading, Representative Chris Collins announced on Saturday that he was abandoning his re-election bid amid worries that his legal troubles could make vulnerable his otherwise solidly Republican district in western… Continue reading

Kobach Hands Kansas Governor Recall Responsibilities to His Deputy, Who Has Donated to His Campaign, and Not to Election Professional

August 10, 2018, 5:39 pmchicanery, UncategorizedRick Hasen

KC Star: Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rucker will take over Kobach’s duties and will serve on the State Board of Canvassers, which will certify the final election results. Rucker donated $1,000 to Kobach’s campaign last fall, according to campaign… Continue reading

“A Senator Claims That Russian Hackers Are In Florida’s Voter Systems. Local Officials Are Skeptical.”

August 8, 2018, 5:41 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

BuzzFeed: Florida Senator Bill Nelson claimed Wednesday that Russian hackers “right now” are “in (the) records” of county election offices, prompting confusion from Florida state and county officials who said they are unaware of such an attack. Speaking to the… Continue reading

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