Tag: Trump big lie

Trump Pressed Official to Wield Justice Dept. to Back Election Claims

The former president began pressuring his incoming acting attorney general even before announcing that his predecessor was stepping down, emails show.

WASHINGTON — An hour before President Donald J. Trump announced in December that William P. Barr would step down as attorney general, the president began pressuring Mr. Barr’s eventual replacement to have the Justice Department take up his false claims of election fraud.

Mr. Trump sent an email via his assistant to Jeffrey A. Rosen, the incoming acting attorney general, that contained documents purporting to show evidence of election fraud in northern Michigan — the same claims that a federal judge had thrown out a week earlier in a lawsuit filed by one of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers.

Another email from Mr. Trump to Mr. Rosen followed two weeks later, again via the president’s assistant, that included a draft of a brief that Mr. Trump wanted the Justice Department to file to the Supreme Court. It argued, among other things, that state officials had used the pandemic to weaken election security and pave the way for widespread election fraud. Continue reading.

New report reveals how Trump’s 2020 lies unleashed waves of threat and intimidation against election official

AlterNet Logo

After the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman reported, on June 1, that former President Donald Trump believes he will be “reinstated” as president by August, many Trump critics — from liberals and progressives to Never Trump conservatives — warned that his delusions could inspire more attacks like the January 6 insurrection as well as an increase in threats against officials. The death threats, harassment and intimidation that election workers have been receiving from Trump supporters is the focus of in-depth article published by Reuters this week, and reporter Linda So shows that the abuse continues months after Trump’s departure from the White House.

In her report, So emphasizes that the election workers who have suffered ongoing abuse range from high-level officials such as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (a conservative Republican) to low-level and mid-level election workers. Raffensperger, following the 2020 presidential election, infuriated Trump and his allies — including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and far-right attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood — by maintaining that now-President Joe Biden won Georgia fairly and that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state as Trump claimed. And Raffensperger, along with his wife Tricia Raffensperger, have been inundated with death threats ever since.

So reports that on April 5, Tricia Raffensperger received a text message saying that a family member was “going to have a very unfortunate incident” — and that message was followed by one in mid-April saying, “We plan for the death of you and your family every day.” Then, on April 24, she received a text message saying, “You and your family will be killed very slowly.” Continue reading.

AG Garland to double enforcement staff to protect voting rights

Axios Logo

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will double the number of enforcement staff dedicated to protecting the right to vote in the next 30 days. 

Why it matters: After an election fraught with baseless claims of fraud and a recent flurry of voter restriction bills in state legislatures, Garland underscored his dedication to protecting voting rights. He said the DOJ will “do everything in its power to prevent election fraud, and if found to vigorously prosecute” but will also scrutinize “new laws that seek to curb voter access.” 

  • “There are many things that are open to debate in America, but the right of all eligible citizens to vote is not one of them,” Garland said in his speech. “The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. The right from which all other rights, ultimately flow.” Continue reading.

Chicago Cop Arrested In Jan. 6 Attack Allegedly Texted ‘We Inside The Capital LMFAO’

Huff Post logo

Officer Karol J. Chwiesiuk allegedly breached the Capitol building, and told an acquaintance beforehand that he was going to D.C. to “f**k up some commies.”

Federal authorities arrested a Chicago police officer Friday morning for his alleged role in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump attempted to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election. 

Chicago Police Department officer Karol J. Chwiesiuk appeared remotely before U.S. Judge Gabriel Fuentes on Friday. Chwiesiuk faces charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority.

In a press conference Friday, CPD Superintendent David Brown said Chwiesiuk had been on the force for two years, and has been placed on desk duty since his arrest. Continue reading.

Capitol rioter’s attorney goes off on Trump for ‘letting the dummies take the hit’ while he went golfing at Mar-a-Lago

Raw Story Logo

After earlier comparing former president Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, the attorney for one of the Capitol rioters went on a rant at the end of an interview with CNN host John Berman in which he railed at Trump for sending “dummies” to do his dirty work in an effort to void the 2020 presidential election.

After his client, Anthony Antonio, carefully parsed his words in an effort to apologize for his actions — while at the same time admitting he went to Washington, D.C., on Jan 6th because the then-president was calling for people to show up — Antonio’s lawyer, Joseph Hurley went on an extended attack on Trump.

Asked if Trump should be held accountable for the Jan 6th insurrection, Antonio conceded, “I have my day in court and do I think he’s held responsible for this? I think he should be held responsible — we’re all responsible for our own actions, and I do think he should be held responsible,” before adding, “I trust our legal system to do what they see fit when it comes to his actions that day.” Continue reading.

Oregon House officially expels Mike Nearman over involvement in State Capitol breach

AlterNet Logo

Oregon lawmakers have moved to expel Rep. Mike Nearman (R-Ore.) from the Oregon House of Representatives following his decision to aid far-right demonstrators by letting them into the state Capitol. 

On Thursday, June 10, House lawmakers voted 59-1 in favor of a resolution condemning Nearman’s decision to open the doors of the State Capitol for a crowd of protesters on Dec. 21 of last year. Lawmakers agreed that Nearman’s actions, which they described as “disorderly behavior” were enough cause for them to expel him, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Prior to the highly publicized vote, top-ranking House lawmakers weighed in with their opinion of Nearman’s actions. When House Republican Leader Christine Drazan appeared on the public radio show Think Out Loud, she admitted that protesters’ intrusion could have easily escalated into a deadly encounter similar to the one that unfolded at the White House on Jan. 6. Continue reading.

Arizona ‘Fraudit’ Challenged By Experienced Election Auditors

National Memo logo

A team of seasoned election auditors has challenged the Republicans leading the Arizona Senate’s inquiries into the accuracy of 2020’s presidential election results to a demonstration where the auditors say that they will conclusively show that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in Arizona’s most populous county.

The challenge, led by a longtime Republican Party election observer and two technologists familiar with voting systems and vote-counting data, would present the results of every race in any randomly chosen batch of ballots, as generated by Maricopa County’s 2020 election data. Those paper ballots would be hand-counted and compared to the electronic totals to attest to the election’s results. These paper and digital records are the building blocks of the county’s voting system.

“We now have the capability to determine the ballot count and vote results for all of the elections on any batch and any box of ballots that were delivered to the [Senate’s contractor, Florida-based Cyber] Ninjasunder the [Senate’s] subpoena, without ever looking at a single ballot,” Tucson’s Benny White, a longtime election observer for the Arizona and Pima County Republican Parties, wrote on June 8 in a letter to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann and the audit liaison and former Secretary of State Ken Bennett. Fann and Bennett are Republicans. Continue reading.

FBI Director Testifies Capitol Rioters Carried ‘All Sorts Of Weapons’

National Memo logo

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified under oath on Thursday that at least one person among the supporters of Donald Trump who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 carried a firearm, while many used other items as weapons, refuting GOP attempts to portray the insurrection as less violent than it was.

Asked by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee whether anyone involved in the riot had been armed with a firearm, Wray responded, “I can think of at least one instance where there was an individual with a gun inside the Capitol, but for the most part the weapons were weapons other than firearms.”

Gohmert is one of several GOP lawmakers who have downplayed the attack that left five people dead and 140 law enforcement officers injured. Republicans like Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) falsely described the riot as a “normal tourist visit,” while Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) described the Trump supporters who violently pushed their way into the Capitol and beat up police officers guarding the building as “peaceful patriots.” Continue reading.

Alleged supporters of right-wing Three Percenters group charged in new Jan. 6 Capitol riot conspiracy

Washington Post logo

Six Southern California men, including four self-described members of the Three Percenters movement, were arrested Thursday and charged with conspiracy in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

The new indictment adds the Three Percenters to the list of right-wing groups — mainly the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys — whose alleged associates have been charged with conspiring to impede police or thwart Congress’s confirmation of the 2020 presidential election results.

The 28-page indictment unsealed Thursday accuses the men of felony counts of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the obstruction of a joint session of Congress, although only one defendant allegedly entered the Capitol. Continue reading.

Poll: Nearly One-Third Of GOP Voters Believe Trump Will Be ‘Reinstated’

National Memo logo

Nearly one-third of Republicans believe Donald Trump will be likely be “reinstated” in office in August, a new Politico/Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday found — the latest lie the GOP base believes surrounding the 2020 election.

The poll found that an overwhelming majority of voters, or 72 percent, say it’s “not likely at all” or “not very likely” that Trump will be reinstated. However, 17 percent of Republicans believe it’s “very likely” that Trump will be reinstated, while another 12 percent believe reinstatement is “somewhat likely.”

Trump himself has been telling advisers that he will be reinstated by August, according to a report from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman confirmed by other outlets. Continue reading.