Category Archives: chicanery

“Trump’s call is still a crime, even if he believes his own fraud fantasies”

January 5, 2021, 12:59 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Trevor Potter and Mark Gaber in WaPo: Although a criminal conviction does require proof of intent — proof Trump knew he was asking for nonexistent votes to be counted in his favor — a person cannot avoid criminal liability… Continue reading

“Pence’s Choice: Side With the Constitution or His Boss”

January 4, 2021, 5:14 pmchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman in the NYT: As president of the Senate, Mr. Pence is expected to preside over the pro forma certification of the Electoral College vote count in front of a joint session of Congress. It… Continue reading

“Donald Trump Should Be Prosecuted for His Shakedown of Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger”

January 4, 2021, 8:59 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: President Donald Trump likely broke both federal and state law in a Saturday phone call during which he encouraged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn… Continue reading

“We Can’t Let Our Elections Be This Vulnerable Again”

January 4, 2021, 8:57 amchicanery, electoral college, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I have written this piece for The Atlantic. It begins: The 2020 election and its aftermath have laid bare an unhappy truth: Many of the familiar procedures for translating the people’s will into the choice of a president depend on… Continue reading

“MAGA marchers plot final D.C. stand on Jan. 6”

January 4, 2021, 8:48 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Politico: Timed to the day when Congress will formally certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win, the MAGA crowd is trying to pressure Vice President Mike Pence and Republican lawmakers to refuse to seat Biden over fabricated voter-fraud claims. It’s a doomed… Continue reading

“POLITICO Playbook: The backstory of Trump’s Georgia call”

January 4, 2021, 6:51 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Marc Caputo: It started on Saturday when Trump and his team reached out to talk to Raffensperger, who, according to an adviser, felt he would be unethically pressured by the president. Raffensperger had been here before: In November he accused… Continue reading

“‘I just want to find 11,780 votes’: In extraordinary hour-long call, Trump pressures Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor”

January 3, 2021, 8:43 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Amy Gardner exclusive for WaPo: President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse… Continue reading

Josh Douglas: “The real reason you need to worry about Hawley’s objection to Biden victory”

December 31, 2020, 7:16 amchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Josh Douglas for CNN Opinion: Don’t be too nervous about Republican Sen. Josh Hawley’s announcement that he will object to the certification of Joe Biden as President when Congress meets on Jan. 6. His ploy won’t stop Biden from taking… Continue reading

Senator Hawley, Positioning Himself for 2024, Will Join in House Objections to Electoral College Votes

December 30, 2020, 8:04 amchicanery, electoral college, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I don’t expect this to make a difference in the outcome, but rather only to extend the day as the chambers of Congress consider objections.

“How Congress and coronavirus could quash Trump’s Electoral College gambit”

December 30, 2020, 6:56 amchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Very helpful Politico article on the Jan. 6 state of play: President Donald Trump’s last-gasp bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat appears doomed on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.But the byzantine process… Continue reading

“Trump allies launch desperate final efforts ahead of congressional confirmation of Biden win”

December 30, 2020, 6:45 amchicanery, electoral college, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: President Trump and his allies are growing increasingly desperate as Congress prepares to formally receive the votes that will confirm his election loss next week, filing lawsuits against nonexistent entities and even Trump’s own vice president as they try… Continue reading

“Sorry, President Trump. January 6 is not an election do-over.”

December 29, 2020, 1:50 pmchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Important Ned Foley in WaPo: President Trump and his supporters are trying to turn the Jan. 6 congressional session for counting electoral college votes into something that it is not and was never intended to be: a forum for litigating… Continue reading

“New lawsuit perpetuates falsehood that Arizona legislature ‘endorsed’ rival slate of electors” (Gohmert v. Pence)

December 28, 2020, 9:52 amchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Derek Muller: Earlier, I highlighted the erroneous assertion in some legal briefs that a state legislature has “endorsed” some rival slate of presidential electors. A new lawsuit from Arizona filed in Texas does the same, and more.

Front-Page NYT: “Trump’s Fraud Claims Died in Court, But the Myth of Stolen Elections Lives On”

December 26, 2020, 8:47 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump’s baseless and desperate claims of a stolen election over the last seven weeks — the most aggressive promotion of “voter fraud” in American history — failed to get any traction in courts across seven states, or come… Continue reading