The Department of Justice (DOJ) threatened to sue California unless election officials sideline ballots from people the federal government believes are “likely noncitizens.” But in letters reviewed by Democracy Docket, the department cites no clear legal authority for ordering state and local election officials to take those steps.
Federal agents raided Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington-area home Monday, just 22 days before the Minnesota Democrat faces reelection. The extraordinary move against a sitting member of Congress drew scrutiny over the Trump administration’s departure from longstanding Department of Justice (DOJ) guidance meant to prevent federal law enforcement from influencing elections.
The Trump administration was able to shift $20 million in taxpayer funds for midterm ads in a matter of hours, a federal judge said Monday.
The Trump administration must stop buying and airing taxpayer-funded advertisements featuring President Donald Trump for the pivotal midterm elections, a federal judge said in a win for pro-democracy groups.
Bannon also said he’s “the leader” of getting Trump to a third term, and was willing to do “whatever it takes” for the MAGA movement to win the midterms.
It’s the third lawsuit filed in response to the campaign-style ads, seemingly created to boost GOP candidates as the party registers historically low ratings.
The convoluted plan rests on a dubious legal theory: that a little-used Commerce Department regulation on “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain” that mostly covers Wi-Fi routers and antivirus apps actually authorizes Lutnick to order sweeping changes to voting machine systems and mandate hand counts of ballots across the country.
The problem? No federal official can seize control of election administration from the states and counties, who hold the power run elections under the U.S. Constitution.
The series of resignations serves as a stark reminder of how Trump has directed enormous federal resources to proving 2020 election conspiracies — and has come up empty.
Advocates agree such an attempt would be blatantly unconstitutional but still worry that such an emergency order could suppress voting nonetheless.