Category Archives: campaigns

Is Kanye West Breaking the Law By Coordinating with the Trump Campaign While Running for President? Perhaps

August 13, 2020, 9:20 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about whether Kanye West, who is running for President and getting on the ballots in at least a few states, is somehow breaking campaign finance law by doing so given the… Continue reading

“Trump campaign ad manipulates three images to put Biden in a ‘basement’”

August 7, 2020, 7:46 amcampaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: The Pinocchio Test Two of these photos fall under the category of “doctored” in the Fact Checker’s Guide to Manipulated Video. In the most egregious case, one image literally takes Biden from a nature preserve and puts him… Continue reading

“Kanye West Indicates That His Spoiler Campaign is Indeed Designed to Hurt Biden”

August 7, 2020, 7:30 amballot access, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Forbes: Amid various reports that Republican and Trump-affiliated political operatives are trying to get Kanye West onto various state ballots for November’s presidential election, the billionaire rap superstar indicated, in an interview by text today, that he was in… Continue reading

“Republican operatives are helping Kanye West get on general election ballots”

August 6, 2020, 6:56 amballot access, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: Republican operatives, some with ties to President Donald Trump, are actively helping Kanye West get on presidential general election ballots in states ranging from Vermont to Arkansas to Wisconsin.The effort is raising questions about whether Republicans are pushing… Continue reading

“Instagram Displayed Negative Related Hashtags For Biden, But Hid Them For Trump”

August 5, 2020, 1:03 pmcampaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

Buzzfeed: For at least the last two months, a key Instagram feature, which algorithmically pushes users toward supposedly related content, has been treating hashtags associated with President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in very different… Continue reading

“Group that wanted to call state lawmaker ‘literally Hitler’ in campaign mailer wins First Amendment case”

August 3, 2020, 9:09 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

Tennessean: A group that wanted to skewer a Tennessee state representative as “literally Hitler” in a mailer has successfully challenged a law that blocked false speech, including satire, against candidates in campaign literature.Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws created a… Continue reading

“Lindsey Graham campaign ad features image of opponent with digitally altered darker skin tone”

July 28, 2020, 8:40 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

CNN reports.

“Private-Equity Executives Pour $92 Million Into 2020 Races Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, who gave $10 million to a group aiming to defend the Senate’s Republican majority, leads political spending in the industry”

July 27, 2020, 6:51 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WSJ reports.

“U.S. Warns Russia, China and Iran Are Trying to Interfere in the Election. Democrats Say It’s Far Worse.”

July 25, 2020, 1:31 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: American intelligence officials issued a public warning on Friday that China was “expanding its influence efforts” in the United States ahead of the presidential election, along with Russia and Iran, but Democrats briefed on the matter said the threat… Continue reading

“A Company Backs a Cause. It Funds a Politician Who Doesn’t. What Gives?”

July 21, 2020, 7:34 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT Dealbook: Walmart calls its employees “heroes” for putting their health at risk to work during the pandemic. AT&T champions L.G.B.T.Q. rights. Microsoft is undertaking one of the country’s most ambitious corporate efforts to eliminate its carbon emissions… Continue reading

President Trump, in Fox News Interview, Suggests without Evidence that Mail-In Balloting with “Rig” the Election, Refuses to Say He Would Accept the Results of the 2020 Election

July 19, 2020, 8:53 pmcampaigns, chicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Transcript of interview with Chris Wallace: WALLACE: Two–TRUMP: That’s going to happen here–WALLACE: Two final questions—TRUMP: If he wins–WALLACE: In general, not talking about November, are you a good loser?TRUMP: I’m not a good loser. I don’t like to lose.… Continue reading

“Graham releases declassified docs on early months of Russia probe”

July 18, 2020, 4:45 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: A Senate committee released declassified documents Friday suggesting that senior FBI officials were initially skeptical of the emerging narrative early in Donald Trump’s presidency that his campaign was in contact with Russian intelligence officers.The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law