Category Archives: campaigns

Rudy Giuliani Says “There’s Nothing Wrong” with Taking Things of Value from Foreign Governments

April 21, 2019, 10:14 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

I ended my recent Slate piece on Mueller’s decision not to prosecute Donald Trump Jr. for campaign finance violations with this statement: Further, even if Mueller believed there were First Amendment questions in play, he should have left that… Continue reading

“Luckily for the Trumps, Some Laws Are Hard to Break; There’s a reason Mueller shied away from prosecuting Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. “

April 21, 2019, 10:09 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy for The Atlantic.

“Trump again jokes about staying on as president for more than two terms”

April 19, 2019, 3:04 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Washington Post: President Trump on Thursday joked about serving more than two terms as president, telling a crowd that he might remain in the Oval Office “at least for 10 or 14 years.”Trump made the comments on the same… Continue reading

“Kamala Harris takes early lead in the big-money race”

April 18, 2019, 9:09 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Hundreds of the biggest Democratic fundraisers in the past two presidential elections are already picking candidates for 2020 — and Kamala Harris has a significant early edge, while Pete Buttigieg and his from-scratch campaign has scrambled into the… Continue reading

“Through email leaks and propaganda, Russians sought to elect Trump, Mueller finds”

April 18, 2019, 9:04 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: In what will stand as among the most definitive public accounts of the Kremlin’s attack on the American political system, the report of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation laid out in precise, chronological detail how “the… Continue reading

“CRC Special Report Unveils Vast ‘Dark Money’ Network on the Left”

April 17, 2019, 11:07 amcampaigns, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

I expect we will hear a lot more about this new report: The political Left often criticizes—and the mainstream media frequently report on—the network of center-right nonprofits funded by billionaire entrepreneurs Charles and David Koch. But few politicos know… Continue reading

Why Democrats are Falling All Over Themselves to Find Small-Dollar Donors

April 17, 2019, 6:50 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Carrie Levine for CPI/538: But the time and energy going into cultivating a grassroots donor base early in the election cycle also carries clear benefits for the party and its eventual nominee — namely, a potentially massive pool of proven… Continue reading

“Wall Street critic Waters rakes in corporate campaign money”

April 16, 2019, 6:53 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Rep. Maxine Waters is embracing corporate campaign contributions as the new chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, even as some progressive Democrats have sworn off fundraising from businesses.The California Democrat’s campaign received about $210,329 in contributions during… Continue reading

“Trump and Sanders Campaigns Lead 2020 Fund-Raising Race”

April 16, 2019, 6:52 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: The two presidential candidates who entered 2019 with the largest bases of supporters — President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont — led the 2020 field in fund-raising in the first quarter of the year.Presidential candidates were under… Continue reading

“Trump’s 2020 plan: Target seniors on Facebook”

April 16, 2019, 6:44 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Axios: The Trump campaign is spending nearly half (44%) of its Facebook ad budget to target users who are over 65 years old, as opposed to Democratic candidates who are only spending 27% of their budget on that demographic, according… Continue reading

“The Seven Things to Look for When Reading the Redacted Mueller Report”

April 15, 2019, 8:25 amcampaigns, chicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: Attorney General William Barr has indicated that a redacted version of the Mueller report is likely to be sent to Congress this week and made public. It could come any day… Continue reading

“How Albany is going after Trump’s taxes; A state bill that could force Trump to release his tax returns is not the first effort”

April 15, 2019, 7:42 amballot access, campaignsRick Hasen

City & State reports.

“Trump’s Campaign Machine Has Two-Year Head Start”

April 14, 2019, 1:38 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WSJ: Before any well-known Democrats even began their White House bids, President Trump’s re-election team had spent more than $83 million on rallies, fundraising and other expenses associated with the thick of a heated race.Mr. Trump set up his 2020 … Continue reading