Category Archives: chicanery

“Trump and Musk Attack Journalists by Name in Social Media Posts”

February 8, 2025, 2:06 pmauthoritarian threats in US, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump has made clear his animus toward mainstream media organizations. Now he’s getting more personal. Mr. Trump and his key lieutenant, Elon Musk, who has been empowered to run what they call the Department of Government Efficiency… Continue reading

“Trump administration cuts teams that fight foreign election interference”

February 8, 2025, 11:26 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

WaPo: The Trump administration this week eliminated much of the federal government’s front line of defense against foreign interference in U.S. elections. The move, which follows years of Trump and his allies disputing the role that Russian influence campaigns played… Continue reading

“Trump continues federal purge, gutting cyber workers who combat disinformation”

February 7, 2025, 10:24 amcheap speech, chicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Politico: The Trump administration has moved to push out a swathe of federal workers previously involved in combating election-related disinformation, according to three people familiar with the matter, amid allegations from congressional Republicans that their work unfairly targeted conservative speech… Continue reading

Trump Purports to Fire FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub

February 6, 2025, 3:58 pmchicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Commissioner Weintraub: Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner and Chair of the FEC. There's a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn't it. I've been so fortunate to serve the American people and stir… Continue reading

“Trump’s Justice Department shutters specialized FBI team combatting foreign election interference threats”

February 6, 2025, 7:22 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

CNN: The FBI is preparing to disband a team of specialists charged with combatting foreign threats to US elections, a source familiar tells CNN. The shuttering of the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force and planned reassigning of team… Continue reading

“Justice Dept. Says It Will Not Bring Charges in Investigation of Project Veritas”

February 6, 2025, 7:05 amchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The Justice Department said on Wednesday that it would not bring charges against anyone affiliated with the group Project Veritas over their role in trying to publish the contents of a diary that had been stolen from Joseph R.… Continue reading

Florida: “Russian, Uzbek nationals filed 132 fake voter registration applications in Pinellas County: DOJ”

February 5, 2025, 7:45 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WFLA: A Russian national and an Uzbek national have been arrested for allegedly submitting over 100 fake voter registration applications in Pinellas County, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday. Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, and Sanjar Jamilov, 33, were both charged… Continue reading

“Jeffries Works With N.Y. Democrats to Weaken G.O.P. Control of the House”

February 4, 2025, 6:47 amchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: When Albany Democrats began discussing a rewrite of New York’s special election law in recent days, seemingly out of the blue, they framed it publicly as a matter of good governance. But behind the scenes, their motivation was far… Continue reading

“Paramount in Settlement Talks With Trump Over ’60 Minutes’ Lawsuit” (Political Wire: Trump’s Lawsuit Settlements Look a Lot Like Bribery)

January 31, 2025, 7:30 ambribery, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: When Donald J. Trump sued CBS for $10 billion days before the 2024 election, accusing the company of deceptively editing a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, many legal experts dismissed the litigation as a far-fetched attempt… Continue reading

Watch Archived Video of Safeguarding Democracy Project Conversation with Amy Gardner, Pam Karlan, and Stephen Richer on What To Expect with Voting and Elections over the Next Four Years

January 30, 2025, 4:49 pmchicanery, election administration, election subversion risk, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I learned a ton from this excellent discussion. Watch:

“Justice Dept. Is Said to Discuss Dropping Case Against Eric Adams”

January 30, 2025, 7:05 ambribery, chicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: Senior Justice Department officials under President Trump have held discussions with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of dropping their corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams of New York, according to five people with knowledge of the matter.… Continue reading

“Former US Sen. Bob Menendez gets 11 years in prison for taking bribes and acting as agent of Egypt” (and Appears to Be Angling for a Trump Pardon)

January 30, 2025, 6:52 ambribery, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt — crimes his lawyer said he’s been mocked for as “Gold Bar… Continue reading

“DOJ moves to drop charges against former GOP lawmaker in case criticized by Trump”

January 30, 2025, 6:48 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: The Justice Department has moved to drop its criminal prosecution of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican who resigned last year after a conviction on charges that he lied to the FBI. Fortenberry’s conviction by a federal jury … Continue reading

“Trump Signs Agreement Calling for Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle Suit”

January 29, 2025, 1:37 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: President Trump has signed settlement papers that are expected to require Meta Platforms to pay roughly $25 million to resolve a 2021 lawsuit Trump brought after the company suspended his accounts following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol that year, according… Continue reading