Category Archives: fraudulent fraud squad

Elon Musk Buys into Far-Right Smears of Those Pursuing Election Integrity on a Bipartisan Basis

May 9, 2023, 8:32 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Pam Fessler: What’s strange @elonmusk is that you continue to allow blatant lies on Twitter. This conference is bi/nonpartisan and available for anyone to see online. You might want to watch and learn about all the work R and… Continue reading

Two election-related state budget stories

May 5, 2023, 9:45 amcampaign finance, fraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

In New York, the new public financing system (with a 6-1 match for small local contributions) gets some cash. And in Florida, DeSantis’s election investigations office gets a 20% increase (though not the 280% increase DeSantis requested).

“The Jolt: Georgia megadonor tells Trump attorney election was clean”

May 3, 2023, 4:03 pmcheap speech, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

Lauren Windsor with another audio reveal from the Cleta Mitchell conversation to RNC donors. More here at the AJC. From a donor apparently identified as Tommy Bagwell, to the assembled crowd: I’m one of the largest donors to Trump… Continue reading

“Court ruling risks letting election fraud off the hook. Lawmakers must fix it.”

May 3, 2023, 4:01 pmfraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

Texas AG Ken Paxton lobbies for more legislation on election crime, after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on separation of powers grounds struck down a law purporting to give the AG power to prosecute. The underlying dispute was about… Continue reading

“GOP election officials walking fine line on fraud, integrity”

April 30, 2023, 8:57 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP: The Republican secretaries of state in Ohio, West Virginia and Missouri have promoted their states’ elections as fair and secure. Yet each also is navigating a fine line on how to address election fraud conspiracies as they gear up… Continue reading

“Prosecutors in Jan. 6 Case Step up Inquiry Into Trump Fund-Raising”

April 29, 2023, 5:59 pmcampaign finance, chicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: As they investigate former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal prosecutors have also been drilling down on whether Mr. Trump and a range of political aides knew that he had lost the race but… Continue reading

“This is what it took for Arizona Republicans to expel an election denier”

April 28, 2023, 7:33 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez for WaPo: The story of how Republicans decided to oust Harris — marking only the fourth time in history that an Arizona state House member has been expelled — illuminates what it takes for GOP lawmakers… Continue reading

“A second firm hired by Trump campaign found no evidence of election fraud”

April 27, 2023, 1:02 pmelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: Former president Trump’s campaign quietly commissioned a second firm to study election fraud claims in the weeks after the 2020 election, and the founder of the firm was recently questioned by the Justice Department about his work disproving the… Continue reading

“Arizona county’s new elections head shared voter fraud memes”

April 26, 2023, 7:23 amelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP: A rural Arizona county where leaders have embraced voting machine conspiracies on Tuesday hired an elections director who has promoted the false claims that voter fraud cost former President Donald Trump reelection in 2020. The two Republicans on the… Continue reading

“Mike Lindell’s firm told to pay $5 million in ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ election-fraud challenge”

April 20, 2023, 8:34 amelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: MyPillow founder and prominent election denier Mike Lindell made a bold offer ahead of a “cyber symposium” he held in August 2021 in South Dakota: He claimed he had data showing Chinese interference and said he would pay $5… Continue reading

“Trump calls on Rupert Murdoch to back false 2020 election fraud claims ahead of Dominion trial”

April 18, 2023, 7:21 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

USA Today: Former President Donald Trump on Monday called on Rupert Murdoch to back false information about the 2020 presidential election ahead of the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems has pursued against Fox News and its parent company. Trump on… Continue reading

“U.S. elections official takes part in secretive GOP conference, sparking backlash”

April 14, 2023, 8:32 amElection Assistance Commission, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Zachary Roth: A commissioner of a federal elections agency recently spoke at a secretive conference of conservative voting activists and Republican secretaries of state and congressional staff — a step that election experts call highly improper for an official charged… Continue reading

“How A Rural California County Became A Petri Dish For the Big Lie”

April 14, 2023, 7:05 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Kaila Philo for TPM: A deep red enclave in rural Northern California has recently seen the balance of its local governing body shift to the far right. Now it’s about to embark on an experiment tried in few other jurisdictions… Continue reading

“Arizona Rep. Liz Harris expelled from House of Representatives for ‘disorderly behavior'”

April 12, 2023, 7:16 pmfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Arizona Republic: The Arizona House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. Liz Harris, R-Chandler after an ethics probe that found Harris engaged in “disorderly behavior” for bringing a guest to a public hearing who falsely accused lawmakers of taking bribes… Continue reading