Category Archives: chicanery

“Push polls increase false memories for fake news stories”

June 3, 2021, 9:09 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

New article in the journal Memory by Gillian Murphy, Laura Lynch, Elizabeth Loftus & Rebecca Egan. Abstract: Push polls are an insidious means of disseminating information under the guise of a legitimate information-gathering poll (e.g., “Would you… Continue reading

“Experts Call It A ‘Clown Show’ But Arizona ‘Audit’ Is A Disinformation Blueprint”

June 3, 2021, 8:39 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Miles Parks for NPR: To Matt Masterson, the review of 2020 ballots from Maricopa County, Ariz., that’s underway is “performance art” or “a clown show,” and definitely “a waste of taxpayer money.”But it’s not an audit.“It’s an audit in name… Continue reading

“Trump has grown increasingly consumed with ballot audits as he pushes falsehood that election was stolen”

June 2, 2021, 5:30 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: Former president Donald Trump remains relentlessly focused on the false claim that the November election was stolen from him and is increasingly consumed with the notion that ballot reviews pushed by his supporters around the country could prove that… Continue reading

“Dems’ dark-money bid aimed to paint Josh Hawley as an anti-gun lefty”

June 2, 2021, 2:34 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Axios: A dark-money group aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer helped pay for deceptive ads aimed at depressing Republican general election turnout in 2018, newly released records show.Why it matters: These contests were decided more than two years ago,… Continue reading

“Texas Democrats abandon House floor, blocking passage of voting bill before final deadline”

May 31, 2021, 12:49 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

Alexa Ura for the Texas Tribune: The sweeping overhaul of Texas elections and voter access was poised from the beginning of the session to pass into law. It had the backing of Republican leaders in both chambers of the Legislature.… Continue reading

“Prosecutor in Trump criminal probe convenes grand jury to hear evidence, weigh potential charges”

May 26, 2021, 8:53 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Manhattan’s district attorney has convened the grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict former president Donald Trump, other executives at his company or the business itself, should prosecutors present the panel with criminal charges, according to… Continue reading

“Did a ‘Smooth and Secure’ 2020 Election Cost the Texas Secretary of State Her Job?”

May 24, 2021, 7:19 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Houston Chronicle: Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs announced her resignation Friday after Republicans in the Senate declined to confirm her appointment by Gov. Greg Abbott.While Republicans have not publicly expressed any lack of faith in Hughs, Democrats point… Continue reading

Must-Read: “They tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now they want to run the next one.”

May 24, 2021, 6:57 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Zach Montellaro for Politico: Republicans who sought to undercut or overturn President Joe Biden’s election win are launching campaigns to become their states’ top election officials next year, alarming local officeholders and opponents who are warning about pro-Trump, “ends justify… Continue reading

Must-Read, Absolutely Bonkers Report from Jeremy Stahl of Slate on the Odd and Worrying Procedures Being Used in the Fake Arizona “Audit”

May 23, 2021, 4:40 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Read it and weep.

“In echo of Arizona, Georgia state judge orders Fulton County to allow local voters to inspect mailed ballots cast last fall”

May 23, 2021, 4:24 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: In Georgia, Superior Court Judge Brian Amero ruled on Friday that the nine plaintiffs and their experts could examine copies of the ballots but never touch the originals, which will remain in the possession of Fulton election officials. Further… Continue reading

“Trump, Pelosi, and other fundraising juggernauts just got put on notice by the feds that they could be breaking the law with their spammy ‘5x match’ fundraising gimmicks”

May 20, 2021, 10:07 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Dave Levinthal for Business Insider: But this wildly popular — and demonstrably bogus — fundraising gimmick could soon be dead. That’s because the Department of Justice on Monday indicated that fraudulent “match” solicitations were one of several misdeeds that factored… Continue reading

“January 6 commission vote: Prospects bleak that 10 Republicans would buck McConnell”

May 20, 2021, 7:54 amchicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: After the House passed a bill to establish a commission to investigate the events surrounding January 6, Senate Republicans look poised to torpedo the commission with few Republicans signaling they’d vote with Democrats to support it.Democrats would need… Continue reading

Michigan: “GOP bills would embolden challengers and create election chaos, voting rights advocates say”

May 19, 2021, 8:32 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Detroit Free Press: A series of Republican bills that would dramatically expand the rights of poll watchers and election challengers would burden election administrators, cause delays for voters at polling locations, open the door to voter intimidation and re-create… Continue reading

“Arizona Republicans fight back against election fraud claims”

May 18, 2021, 6:02 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP: The top Republicans in Arizona’s largest county gave an impassioned defense of their handling of the 2020 election Monday, calling on fellow members of the GOP and business leaders to speak out against an unprecedented partisan election audit.The GOP-dominated… Continue reading

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