Category Archives: chicanery

“Sondland acknowledges there was a ‘quid pro quo’ involving Ukraine”

November 20, 2019, 7:15 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified Wednesday more bluntly than he had before that President Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, sought to condition a White House invite for Ukraine’s new president to demands that his country publicly launch… Continue reading

“Possible pay-to-play scheme for ambassador role in Trump administration uncovered by CBS News”

November 18, 2019, 7:18 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

CBS News: A CBS News investigation has uncovered a possible pay-for-play scheme involving the Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the Bahamas. Emails obtained by CBS News show the nominee, San Diego billionaire Doug Manchester,… Continue reading

Another Hofeller Bombshell: Hofeller Was Communicating with DOJ Officials to Approve Letter Regarding Citizenship Question on the Census, Meaning DOJ Officials Likely Lied

November 14, 2019, 4:44 pmcensus litigation, chicaneryRick Hasen

I’ll update this post with a link to the full filing when I have it. (Update: the document is here.) In the meantime, here is a key tweet from Jonathan Topaz: https://twitter.com/JonathanTopaz/status/1195137404207869952 https://twitter.com/JonathanTopaz/status/1195133896930865152

“Georgia election officials investigate prominent critics”

November 13, 2019, 6:23 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Looks like more chicanery from Georgia election officials: Georgia election officials have opened an investigation into two prominent critics of the state’s new touchscreen voting machines, secretary of state Brad Raffensperger’s office confirmed Wednesday.Those critics called the investigation an attempt… Continue reading

“Democrats Look to Build Case That Trump Tried to Bribe or Extort Ukraine”

November 12, 2019, 9:15 pmbribery, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: A top Democratic official said the witnesses — William B. Taylor Jr., the top diplomat in Ukraine, and George P. Kent, a senior State Department official — would lay out a timeline of serious misconduct by Mr. Trump and… Continue reading

Parnas and Fruman Got Access to Trump to Call for Dumping Ambassador By Promising Big Contribution to Trump Super PAC

November 12, 2019, 9:09 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: The April 2018 dinner was designed to be an intimate affair, an opportunity for a handful of big donors to a super PAC allied with President Trump to personally interact with the president and his eldest son.In an exclusive… Continue reading

“Hillary Clinton Raps Boris Johnson Over His Suppression of a Russia Report”

November 11, 2019, 2:57 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Russia’s influence in British politics has resurfaced as a potentially explosive issue in the country’s general election, with Hillary Clinton joining a parade of critics castigating Prime Minister Boris Johnson for withholding a secret parliamentary report on Russia until… Continue reading

“Intelligence community unveils plans for disclosing foreign electoral interference; promises no ‘partisan politics'”

November 11, 2019, 9:31 amcampaigns, chicanery, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Yahoo News reports.

Bevin Supporter Fishing for Voter Fraud Evidence They Don’t Have Through Robocalls That May Mislead Voters Into Thinking They Are Coming from Kentucky Board of Elections

November 8, 2019, 8:53 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Courier Journal: Conservative political activist Frank Simon, a longtime supporter of Gov. Matt Bevin, is sending robocalls asking Kentuckians to report suspicious activity or voter fraud to the State Board of Elections before Nov. 14 — the day of Bevin’s… Continue reading

Trump, Bevin, and the Voter Fraud Dog That Didn’t Bark

November 8, 2019, 8:28 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Yesterday at Slate I wrote about how Kentucky governor Matt Bevin has so far made unsubstantiated claims that voter fraud and other irregularities cost him the election against his Democratic opponent Andy Beshear, and that the Kentucky Senate President made… Continue reading

Ghost of Tom Hofeller: Republican Legislator Keeps Leaving North Carolina Legislative Meeting for Secret Consultations in Redrawing the State’s Congressional Districts Under Threat of Court Order

November 7, 2019, 1:00 pmchicanery, redistrictingRick Hasen

Daniel Jacobson: https://twitter.com/Dan_F_Jacobson/status/1192515607427723265

Kentucky: “Republican lawmakers: Bevin can’t turn election dispute into ‘fishing expedition'”

November 7, 2019, 12:44 pmcampaigns, chicanery, recountsRick Hasen

Courier-Journal: Republicans in Kentucky’s legislature have expressed skepticism about Gov. Matt Bevin’s dispute with Tuesday night’s election results, saying the governor should back up his claims of “irregularities” and not drag the outcome beyond next week’s recanvass.“If there… Continue reading

“AP Exclusive: Steyer aide offered money for endorsements”

November 7, 2019, 12:42 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: A top aide to Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer in Iowa privately offered campaign contributions to local politicians in exchange for endorsing his White House bid, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the conversations.The overtures from Pat… Continue reading

“Could Matt Bevin Steal the Kentucky Governor’s Election?”

November 7, 2019, 8:59 amchicaneryRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: Will the Kentucky Legislature assist Matt Bevin in stealing the governor’s race from Democrat Andy Beshear, who appeared to have won Tuesday’s election by about 5,000 votes? Ordinarily, I would consider… Continue reading