Category Archives: conflict of interest laws

“FBI serves warrant on senator in investigation of stock sales linked to coronavirus”

May 13, 2020, 8:32 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

LAT: Federal agents seized a cellphone belonging to a prominent Republican senator on Wednesday night as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into controversial stock trades he made as the novel coronavirus first struck the U.S., a law enforcement official… Continue reading

“Congressional Stock Trading During Pandemic Diminishes Public Trust”

April 29, 2020, 8:24 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

New CLC report.

“Loeffler reports more stock sales amid insider trading allegations”

April 1, 2020, 9:17 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

AJC: U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s most recent financial disclosures show that millions of dollars in stocks were sold on her behalf at the same time Congress was dealing with the impact of the coronavirus.The largest transactions — and the most… Continue reading

“Senator Dumped Up to $1.7 Million of Stock After Reassuring Public About Coronavirus Preparedness”

March 19, 2020, 8:24 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

ProPublica: Soon after he offered public assurances that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus, the powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading between $628,000 and… Continue reading

What If The President Commits an Abuse of Power By Inviting Foreign Interference in the 2020 Elections in the Open?

October 3, 2019, 11:39 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

My tweet thread begins here: It is easy to lose sight of what's going on given how Trump has been flooding the zone with craziness for so long. Today's comments publicly inviting China to investigate Biden, a political rival,… Continue reading

“Mark Meadows and the Undisclosed Dinosaur Property”

October 1, 2019, 5:42 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

New Yorker: Three years ago, the North Carolina congressman Mark Meadows sold a hundred-and-thirty-four-acre property in Dinosaur, Colorado. The buyer was Answers in Genesis, a Christian nonprofit based in Kentucky, which was founded by the Australian creationist Ken Ham. Answers… Continue reading

My Thoughts on the Whistleblower Complaint

September 26, 2019, 8:31 amconflict of interest laws, ethics investigationsRick Hasen

With the complaint released today, I’ve been tweeting about the case in this thread: Among the most disturbing allegations are those of a cover up by White House lawyers and the deep involvement of AG Barr. He needs to… Continue reading

“Warren releases plan to tackle Washington corruption”

September 16, 2019, 7:01 amcampaigns, chicanery, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

WaPo: Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a new plan Monday to tackle corruption in Washington, part of the Democratic presidential candidate’s ongoing promises to enact “big structural change” if elected.Warren’s wide-ranging new proposal seeks to dramatically limit the influence of federal… Continue reading

Second Circuit, on 2-1 Vote (and Disagreeing with 4th Circuit), Finds Standing in Emoluments Suit Against Trump and Remands Case

September 13, 2019, 7:30 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

As the majority put it, “But while the existence of a political motivation for a lawsuit does not supply standing, nor does it defeat standing. “

“Appeals Court Judges Send Emoluments Suit Against Trump Back to a Lower Court”

July 22, 2019, 7:42 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

NYT: “The District Court did not adequately address whether — given the separation of powers issues present in a lawsuit brought by members of the legislative branch against the president of the United States — resolving the legal questions… Continue reading

Unanimous 4th Circuit Panel Shuts Down Emoluments Litigation Brought by D.C. and Maryland Against Trump on Standing Grounds

July 10, 2019, 7:40 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

You can find the opinion here. I wonder whether this will go en banc to the entire 4th Circuit. The panel certainly went further than it had to here at this point given the procedual posture of the case.

“Trump Is Urged to Fire Kellyanne Conway for Hatch Act Violations”

June 13, 2019, 1:49 pmconflict of interest laws, ethics investigationsRick Hasen

NYT: An independent government agency recommended on Thursday that President Trump fire Kellyanne Conway, his White House counselor, for repeated violations of an ethics law barring partisan politics from the federal workplace.In a letter accompanying a report to Mr. Trump… Continue reading

“Kellyanne Conway dismisses Hatch Act violation: ‘Let me know when the jail sentence starts'”

May 29, 2019, 7:54 amconflict of interest laws, ethics investigationsRick Hasen

Awful.

“The Massage Parlor Owner Peddling Access to Trump Has Ties to Chinese Government-Linked Groups”

March 10, 2019, 3:15 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Mother Jones: Li Yang, the Florida massage parlor entrepreneur who created and operated a business that sold Chinese business executives access to President Donald Trump and his family at Mar-a-Lago, has yet another intriguing line of work. She is an… Continue reading