U.S. Department of Justice authorities announced Wednesday that two former officials of a Louisiana city were sentenced to one year in prison for paying or offering to pay citizens for votes.
Court documents show Jerry Trabona, 73, the former Amite City police chief, and Kristian “Kris” Hart, 50, a former Amite City councilmember, conspired to pay citizens residing in Tangipahoa Parish to vote during the 2016 open primary election and the 2016 open general election — contests in which Trabona and Hart were candidates.
“Trabona and Hart’s vote buying scheme included the solicitation and hiring of individuals responsible for identifying potential voters, the transportation of those voters to the polls, and payment and offer of payment to the voters for voting,” a<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-louisiana-police-chief-city-councilmember-and-additional-co-conspirator-sentenced-vote"> news release</a> from the DOJ stated.
Authorities also ordered Trabona to pay a $10,000 fine for his role in the conspiracy.
The Sinclair Broadcast Group&#8217;s National Desk <a href="https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/former-sheriff-city-councilmember-sentenced-in-vote-buying-scheme-jerry-trabona-kristian-hart">reported</a> federal authorities initially charged Trabona and Hart with one count of conspiracy to commit vote-buying and multiple counts of vote-buying and aiding and abetting.
Trabona allegedly concealed his scheme by soliciting voters to sign contracts that falsely stated they would not “make any overture of any kind to any voter or other person of financial award or benefit in exchange for a vote.”
“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that illegal voting, including vote buying, has no place in our nation’s electoral system,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in a<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/former-louisiana-police-chief-and-city-councilmember-plead-guilty-vote-buying"> news release</a> last summer.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a press release that the state must have “fair elections, free from the taint of corruption, to ensure a fully functional government.&#8221;
“Safeguarding the voting process is of paramount importance to our office and the Department of Justice,” Evans said.
Authorities said that providing voters with money or something of value in exchange for a vote constitutes a federal crime.
Officials said co-conspirator Sidney Smith, 69, of Amite City, paid voters with money provided by Trabona and Hart.
Smith was sentenced to four months in prison for his role in the scheme.
Two other co-conspirators — Calvin Batiste and Louis Ruffino — were also involved. Officials said they would be sentenced at a later date.

Close-Up Of Human Hand With Handcuffs

Former Local Louisiana Officials, Co-Conspirators Sentenced For Vote-Buying Scheme

Two Former Local Louisiana Officials, Co-Conspirators Sentenced For Election Fraud Scheme

Crime

Department of Justice

Election Fraud

Election Laws

Louisiana

Politics

Voters

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a> governor-elect Josh Shapiro <a href="https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/ag-shapiro-announces-charges-against-philadelphia-man-for-orchestrating-the-forgery-of-signatures-on-election-nomination-petitions-in-municipal-primary-races/">announced</a> Wednesday his office arrested a former political consultant on allegations of forging thousands of Democratic primary ballots for the Philadelphia city elections in 2019.
Currently serving as the commonwealth&#8217;s attorney general, Shapiro said authorities arrested Rasheen Crews and charged him with Criminal Solicitation to Commit Forgery and Theft By Failure to Make Required Disposition for duplicating signatures on nomination petitions to get his clients on the ballot.
&#8220;In advance of the 2023 municipal elections, this arrest is an important reminder that interfering with the integrity of our elections is a serious crime,&#8221; Shapiro said. &#8220;By soliciting and organizing the wide scale forgery of signatures, the defendant undermined the democratic process and Philadelphians&#8217; right to a free and fair election.&#8221;
Shapiro&#8217;s announcement comes days after securing the governor&#8217;s race victory against Republican Senator Doug Mastriano, who conceded in the race Sunday evening after losing by more than 14 points.
Pennsylvania&#8217;s incoming governor often criticized his gubernatorial opponent for his endorsement from former President Donald Trump and casting doubts about the 2020 Presidential Election results.
However, according to an arrest <a href="https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-11-16-Rasheen-Crews-CC.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affidavit</a>, Shapiro&#8217;s office opened an investigation into the allegations against Crews in September 2019, which found that the campaign consultant hired multiple candidates to help with the petition work by writing in enough names, addresses, and forging signatures on nomination petitions in a hotel room.
Crews would then allegedly have the petitions notarized and filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The attorney general&#8217;s office said over 1,000 signatures showed duplicated information, which led some candidates to withdraw from the election entirely.
The affidavit shows his clients were unaware of the scheme.
The Washington Free Beacon <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/pennsylvania-ag-josh-shapiro-charges-former-campaign-consultant-with-wide-scale-voter-fraud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> Pennsylvania campaign finance database shows Crews consulted for dozens of federal, state, and local candidates for at least six years, including Shapiro&#8217;s attorney general campaign, which paid Crews $2,000 in 2016.
A spokesperson for Crews told <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/rasheen-crews-philadelphia-forgery-charges-2019-democratic-primary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local media</a> when the allegations first came up in 2019 that the political consultant did not use his normal vetting process for hiring workers to collect signatures to help more people than he could manage.
U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of the Democratic City Committee, told <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/rasheen-crews-arrest-charged-philadelphia-ballot-petition-signature-forgery-20221116.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Philadelphia Inquirer</a> that he reached out to judicial candidates three years ago after hearing about issues with the petitions, adding that they appeared to be &#8220;kitchen-table jobs.&#8221;
Brady said Crews has attempted reconciliation with the party and was offered a deal despite being under criminal investigation that would bar him from circulating petitions and other political activities. Brady, however, assumed Crews did not take the deal considering the criminal charges announced by the attorney general&#8217;s office.
&#8220;I guess they&#8217;re sending a message to people not to mess around with petitions,&#8221; Brady said. &#8220;Nothing wrong with that.&#8221;

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Shapiro Holds Election Night Event

Pennsylvania Gov. Elect Josh Shapiro Charges Former Political Consultant With ‘Wide Scale’ Voter Fraud

2022 Election

Pennsylvania

Vote Fraud

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hillary-clinton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hillary Clinton</a> is getting a jump on 2024 election denial.
The former first lady, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and twice-failed presidential candidate recently warned that “Right-wing extremists” are plotting to steal the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 presidential election</a>. Clinton made the divisive claim in a video released last week and addressed to “Indivisibles.”
“Right-wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next presidential election,” Clinton said, urging her followers to help “crush the coup” she believes could happen in two years. “And they’re not making a secret of it.”
Clinton famously accused former President George W. Bush of being “selected” and not elected over her husband Bill’s former Vice President Al Gore in 2000. And when she lost in 2016, after falsely accusing former President Trump of colluding with Russians, she waited a full day to deliver a concession speech. And she continued to hint darkly that the election was unfair.
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“Right wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next presidential election.”
Hillary Clinton is already warming up her election denying for 2024. <a href="https://t.co/Qup5jydjYb">pic.twitter.com/Qup5jydjYb</a>
&mdash; Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylenabecker/status/1584728151871356928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level,” <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/hillary-clinton-maintains-2016-election-160716779.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clinton told The Atlantic in October, 2020</a>. “We still don’t know what really happened.”
“There’s just a lot that I think will be revealed. History will discover,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But you don’t win [the popular vote] by 3 million votes and have all this other shenanigans and stuff going on and not come away with an idea like, ‘Whoa, something’s not right here.’ That was a deep sense of unease.”
Clinton, who turns 75 this week, has been rumored to be considering a run if President Biden does not seek re-election. Although she dropped no new hints on that front in the video, she seemed to be laying the groundwork for more suspicion and division should the Republican nominee win the White House.
“The Right-wing-controlled Supreme Court may be poised to rule on giving state legislatures, yes, you heard me that correctly, state legislatures the power to overturn presidential elections,” Clinton said. “Just think if that happens? The 2024 presidential election could be decided not by the popular vote or even by the anachronistic electoral college, but by state legislatures, many of them Republican controlled.”
Clinton touted a new Political Action Committee called “<a href="https://crushthecoup.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crush the Coup</a>” and called on followers to donate money. The group is trying to achieve Democratic majorities in certain state legislatures it believes could hold the key to blocking conservative attempts to challenge election laws.
Democrats have long contended that the 2016 election was stolen, although the three-year investigation into claims Trump colluded with Russia, based on a Clinton campaign claim, turned up no evidence. Although Trump and many of his supporters questioned the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2020-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 election</a> results, with some even rioting at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Democrats and the media have pronounced it the “most secure election ever.”

Screen Shot 2022-10-25 at 8.06.54 AM

Hillary Clinton Gets Jump On 2024 Election Denial, Says ‘Right-Wing Extremists’ Plotting A Steal

Hillary Clinton Gets Jump On 2024 Election Denial, Says 'Right-Wing Extremists' Plotting A Steal

2024 Election

Hillary Clinton

A former U.S. Congressman, a Democrat, was sentenced to more than two years in jail last week for committing election fraud intended to help Democrat candidates.
Former Rep. Michael &#8220;Ozzie&#8221; Myers, 79, who represented a district in Pennsylvania, pled guilty to conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records, conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election, and orchestrating schemes to fraudulently stuff the ballot boxes for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Pennsylvania elections, the U.S. Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/former-us-congressman-and-philadelphia-political-operative-sentenced-30-months-prison">said</a> in a statement.
United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond sentenced Myers to 30 months in prison with three years of supervised release for his crimes and ordered Myers to pay $100,000 in fines, with $10,000 of that due immediately.
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-dem-rep-gets-30-month-prison-sentence-ballot-stuffing-election-fraud-case">reported</a> that Myers served four years in the U.S. House, from 1976 to 1980, but was expelled and thrown in prison for three years after being convicted of bribery.
The DOJ noted that Myers admitted in court that he bribed a Judge of Elections into illegally adding votes for certain candidates of their mutual political party in primary elections in a fraudulent scheme that lasted several years. Myers also admitted to conspiring to commit election fraud with another former Judge of Elections, the DOJ added.
Myers solicited payments from candidates that were his clients and then used a portion of that money to bribe election officials.
“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. If even one vote has been illegally cast or if the integrity of just one election official is compromised, it diminishes faith in process,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “This defendant used his position, knowledge of the process, and connections to fix elections for his preferred candidates, which demonstrates a truly flagrant disregard for the laws which govern our elections. He will now spend 30 months in prison as penalty for his crimes.”
“Protecting the legitimacy of elections is critical to ensuring the public’s trust in the process,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Through his actions, Ozzie Myers pointedly disdained both the will of Philadelphia voters and the rule of law. He’s now a federal felon twice over, heading back behind bars, with time to consider the great consequence of free and fair elections.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-congressman-claims-republicans-stole-u-s-house-seat-in-texas-by-winning-the-election">Democrat Congressman Claims Republicans ‘Stole’ U.S. House Seat In Texas By Winning The Election</a>

Voting

Former Democrat Congressman Jailed For Committing Election Fraud To Help Democrats

Democrat

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrat</a> congressman in South Texas engaged in election denialism during an event late this week with House Intelligence Committee chairman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/adam-schiff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Schiff</a> (D-CA), falsely claiming that Republicans &#8220;stole&#8221; a U.S. House seat from a fellow Democrat earlier this year during a special election.
Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) beat former Rep. Dan Sanchez (D-TX) in a special election in Texas&#8217; 34th Congressional District, a major breakthrough for Republicans in the region.
Flores now has to face off against Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) in the upcoming midterms due to redistricting in the state.
Gonzalez falsely claimed late this week during an event at Shotz bar in Brownsville, Texas, that Republicans &#8220;stole&#8221; the election.
&#8220;Our democracy is at stake,&#8221; Gonzalez claimed. &#8220;There&#8217;s millions and millions of dollars from outside our region and outside our state that are coming here to try to steal our elections and take away your value and take away the process that we rely on, which is elections. And we don&#8217;t have the resources to compete with these outside resources. We can&#8217;t compete with the Koch brothers, we can&#8217;t compete with big oil, and big tobacco, and the NRA. They can outspend us, but they can&#8217;t outwork us.&#8221;
&#8220;They stole that last election,&#8221; Gonzalez falsely claimed. &#8220;They spent $3 million to our $250,000, they campaigned for two years, and they still only won by less than one percent. So, the way to turn this around is getting out and vote.&#8221;
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Democrat Vicente Gonzalez falsely claims his election was &quot;stolen&quot; from him.
 <a href="https://t.co/MawT4hA113">pic.twitter.com/MawT4hA113</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1568738156383735808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-candidate-vicente-gonzalez-claims-mayra-flores-supporters-stole-texas-special-election">reported</a> that Schiff, who serves on the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot, also spoke to at the event and spoke positively of Gonzalez.
&#8220;The work you&#8217;re doing to support our Democratic institutions, the infrastructure of our elections, the rule of law, the rule of law applies to everyone equally could not be more important,&#8221; Schiff said. &#8220;It&#8217;s been such a pleasure to meet so many of you and thank you for all you&#8217;re doing to support my wonderful colleague.&#8221;
Gonzalez posted photos of himself with Schiff on Friday, calling him a &#8220;friend&#8221; and thanking him for visiting the Rio Grande Valley.
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Thank you to my friend, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAdamSchiff</a>, for visiting the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RGV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RGV</a> this week. It&#39;s important for those in Washington to know and appreciate what South Texans have to offer and I was thrilled to show him around. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TX34?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TX34</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VicenteConLaGente?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VicenteConLaGente</a> <a href="https://t.co/u9oMD4M0ej">pic.twitter.com/u9oMD4M0ej</a>
&mdash; Vicente Gonzalez (@VoteVicente) <a href="https://twitter.com/VoteVicente/status/1568356160461312000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Gonzalez <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-paid-advertiser-attacks-mayra-flores-as-miss-frijoles-miss-enchiladas">paid</a> a blogger who made racist and vile remarks about Flores $1,200 for “advertising services.”
He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-rep-responds-after-paying-blog-behind-nasty-attacks-on-latina-republican">responded</a> to the controversy by claiming that he does not &#8220;pay for political attacks.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fight-for-your-abuelos-values-rep-mayra-flores-calls-on-hispanic-community-to-resist-soros-linked-latino-media-network">‘Fight For Your Abuelo’s Values:’ Rep. Mayra Flores Calls On Hispanic Community To Resist Soros-linked Latino Media Network</a>

Vicente Gonzalez Adam Schiff

Democrat Congressman Claims Republicans ‘Stole’ U.S. House Seat In Texas By Winning The Election

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Falsely Claims Republicans ‘Stole’ An ‘Election’ By Winning It

2022 Midterms

Mayra Flores

Texas

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida">Florida</a> Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> announced on Thursday that 20 people in his state had been charged with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/election-fraud">voter fraud</a> in what he described as an “opening salvo” in cracking down on voting violations. 
DeSantis said that the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security and Florida law enforcement had charged 20 people with voter fraud charges as part of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2020-election">2020 election</a> integrity investigation. According to the governor, the 20 people charged had voted illegally even though they had been convicted of murder or a sexual offense felony. 
 “Our new election crimes office has sprung into action to hold individuals accountable for voter fraud. Today’s actions send a clear signal to those who are thinking about ballot harvesting or fraudulently voting. If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2022/08/18/governor-desantis-announces-the-arrest-of-20-elections-criminals/">said</a>. 
The governor also praised Florida’s elections system, saying it was superior in efficiency and transparency in comparison to other states. He also suggested that there would be more charges coming for voter fraud. 
&#8220;It&#8217;s not just going to be 20 arrests — this is the opening salvo of an office that was just set up on July 1,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ron-desantis-20-charged-voter-fraud-florida">said</a> while speaking at a courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. &#8220;This is the first step. There will be more that happen over the weeks and months [ahead]. And hopefully there&#8217;s not a lot of cases that need to be prosecuted for 2022.&#8221;
He noted that there are ongoing investigations into voting by illegal aliens and whether people had voted twice in different areas. 
“There are investigations ongoing into people that have voted in two different jurisdictions, and I imagine you are going to see prosecutions on that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We also have folks who are voting who are illegal aliens.&#8221;
The counties where people were <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/elections/2022/08/18/desantis-announces-20-arrests-of-floridians-for-voter-fraud/">charged</a> were Broward, Orange, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, and Palm Beach, all counties Joe Biden won in 2020. DeSantis said that his administration did not “want to be selective about&#8221; its charges and would be continuing investigations throughout the state. 
Florida law enforcement has already arrested 17 of the alleged offenders, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). DeSantis said those arrested would “pay the price” for the alleged voting fraud. If convicted, the individuals could face a $5,000 fine and five years in prison. 
“Today is about our honest, hardworking and law-abiding Floridians,” FDLE Acting Commissioner Mark Glass said. “In Florida, your vote matters.  To that end, we will do everything in our power to ensure those who cannot legally vote never cast a ballot.”
&nbsp;

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds News Conference In Fort Lauderdale

‘Opening Salvo’: DeSantis Announces Charges For Alleged 2020 Election Voter Fraud

DeSantis Announces Charges For Alleged 2020 Election Voter Fraud

2020 Election

Florida

Ron DeSantis

Missouri Governor Mike Parson reformed state election laws on Wednesday by banning mail-in ballots and requiring all registered voters to show a photo ID in order to cast a ballot.
In a push to &#8220;strengthen election processes and voter confidence,&#8221; Parson signed <a href="https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/hlrbillspdf/4557S.05T.pdf">House Bill 1878</a> into law, saying although Missouri has conducted &#8220;free, fair, and secure elections&#8221; in 2020 and prior elections, state officials want to remain that way in the face of &#8220;changing technologies and new emerging threats.&#8221;
&#8220;[The bill] strengthens our election processes and gives Missourians confidence that their voices are being accurately and securely recorded at the ballot box,&#8221; Parson said in a <a href="https://governor.mo.gov/press-releases/archive/governor-parson-signs-hb-1878-four-other-bills-law">statement</a>
Voter ID requirements, a measure Missouri Republicans have pined for nearly two decades only to have the courts strike down their efforts ruling them unconstitutional, finally made their way through the system. The law now requires government-issued photo IDs to cast ballots. However, those without one can cast a provisional vote only if the voter returns later that day with a proper ID for signature verification by election officials.
Missouri&#8217;s new law also modified several other rules on how the state conducts its elections, like opening a two-week window for voters to cast absentee ballots without citing an excuse why they can&#8217;t vote on Election Day. In addition, it prohibits local election authorities from accepting private donations — except for personal protective equipment, food, and water.
After the state&#8217;s upcoming primary next month, election officials must &#8220;air-gap&#8221; or disconnect all voting machines from the Internet. Following the 2022 Midterms, hand-marked paper ballots will stand as the official ballot beginning in 2023 — unless the voter chooses to use a ballot marking device. The law also banned the use of electronic voting counting machines starting in 2024.
Missouri&#8217;s latest election law gives the Secretary of State authority to audit voter rolls at any given point to ensure accuracy.
Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft backed the measure calling it &#8220;one of the strongest election laws in the country,&#8221; The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-missouri-government-and-politics-342663e72a921cb9a5f55657d87a0910">reported</a>.
&#8220;It makes sure that it&#8217;s easy to vote, it&#8217;s harder to cheat, and the people can have trust in the results,&#8221; Ashcroft said.
Democrat lawmakers pushed back on the photo ID requirement, according to The Associated Press, calling it &#8220;egregious&#8221; and &#8220;shameful&#8221; believing it could affect minority voters.
&#8220;What you&#8217;re trying to do is take us back to Jim Crow,&#8221; Democratic Rep. LaKeySha Bosley said during debate last month, The Associated Press reported.
Ashcroft clapped back on the Democrat talking point.
&#8220;It seems pretty racist to me to say that the color of skin determines whether or not someone knows how to get an ID,&#8221; Ashcroft told The Associated Press.
Missouri Representative John Simmons and Senator Sandy Crawford joined Gov. Parson during the ceremony signing calling it a common-sense measure and a safeguard to prevent voter fraud.
Missouri joins 17 other states in the union that has enacted voter identification laws that took effect this year, according to the <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx">National Conference of State Legislatures.</a>

Across The U.S. Voters Flock To The Polls On Election Day

“One Of The Strongest Election Laws In The Country”: Missouri Gov. Reforms Election Laws Banning Mail-In Ballots, Requiring Voter ID

Missouri Gov. Reforms Election Laws Banning Mail-In Ballots, Requiring Voter ID

Mail-In Voting

Missouri

Voter ID

Referring to Former President Donald Trump&#8217;s claims that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2020-election">2020 presidential election</a> was stolen as &#8220;The Big Lie&#8221; is reportedly a &#8220;Big No-No&#8221; at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn">CNN</a> under new leadership.
On Tuesday, Mediaite reported that CNN president Chris Licht told CNN staffers on a Tuesday conference call to refrain from referring to Trump&#8217;s claims as &#8220;The Big Lie&#8221; because that phrase is seen as a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party">Democratic</a> talking point.
&#8220;It’s worrisome that we’re being told how to talk about one of the worst things that ever happened to American democracy,” an anonymous CNN source reportedly <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/scoop-new-cnn-boss-chris-licht-wants-staff-to-stop-calling-it-the-big-lie/">said</a> to Mediaite. “We have to call lies, lies, whether they’re small lies or big lies. Is there any lie bigger than that lie?”
Licht took over the network this past spring after Jeff Zucker was forced to resign due to an undisclosed relationship with a CNN employee.
The new network president almost immediately instituted changes at the cable outlet.
In a memo sent to staffers shortly after his appointment, Licht laid out his vision for the company under his direction.
&#8220;&#8230;too many people have lost trust in the news media,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/down-to-weeks-if-not-days-brian-stelter-to-get-pink-slip-report">said</a> in the memo. &#8220;I think we can be a beacon in regaining that trust by being an organization that exemplifies the best characteristics of journalism: fearlessly speaking truth to power, challenging the status quo, questioning group-think, and educating viewers and readers with straightforward facts and insightful commentary, while always being respectful of differing viewpoints.&#8221;
Licht also recently advised employees to refrain from using the &#8220;Breaking News&#8221; banner on the station, unless it is truly warranted.
&#8220;We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers,&#8221; Licht <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/02/cnn-breaking-news-guidelines">said</a> in a memo that was obtained by Axios. &#8220;You’ve already seen far less of the &#8216;Breaking News&#8217; banner across our programming,&#8221; the memo also noted.
&#8220;It has become such a fixture on every channel and network that its impact has become lost on the audience,&#8221; Licht also said.
On Thursday, The Daily Wire also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/down-to-weeks-if-not-days-brian-stelter-to-get-pink-slip-report">reported</a> that anchor Brian Stelter is allegedly on thin ice at the network and could potentially be fired within &#8220;weeks,&#8221; according to one report.
The Daily Wire further noted that Stelter has repeatedly displayed partisanship on his show — something that Licht wants CNN to move away from.
For example, The Daily Wire pointed out that in February, &#8220;Stelter <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/cnn-chief-zucker-resigns-two-days-after-brian-stelter-sneers-over-people-trusting-joe-rogan-more-than-cnn/">ripped</a> podcast host Joe Rogan while trumpeting his own network, babbling, &#8216;You think about major newsrooms like CNN that have health departments and deaths and operations that work hard on verifying information on COVID-19, and then you have talk show stars like Joe Rogan, who just swing it, who make it up as they go along. And because figures like Rogan are trusted by people that don’t trust real newsrooms, we have a tension — a problem that’s much bigger than Spotify, much bigger than any single platform.’”

New CNN Boss Doesn’t Want Staffers Saying ‘The Big Lie’: Report

CNN Boss Chris Licht Doesn't Want Staffers Saying 'The Big Lie,' According To Mediate

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Filmmaker Dinesh D&#8217;Souza&#8217;s movie alleging voter fraud in the 2020 election, &#8220;2000 Mules,&#8221; has made more than $1 million on streaming sites Rumble and its subscription-based platform, Locals in the first weekend out.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-new-socialism-with-dinesh-d-souza">conservative political commentator&#8217;s</a> latest film hit the streaming site at noon on Saturday, and after 12 hours it had grossed &#8220;more than one million dollars&#8221; on Rumble and Locals, making the sales &#8220;good enough&#8221; to put the film in the &#8220;estimated box office top ten for the weekend of May 6th to May 8th,&#8221; according to PRNewswire.com. The movie also played on a limited basis in selected theaters on May 2 and May 4, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-2000-mules-film-election-fraud-dsouza-rittenhouse-1703680">reported</a> Newsweek.
&#8220;The success of &#8216;2000 Mules&#8217; on Rumble is a great sign for creators who do not want to be silenced or censored for their speech,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prageru-what-is-identity-socialism">D&#8217;Souza</a> told the outlet.
&#8220;Supporting creative independence is core to our values, and we are thrilled to offer creators a new way to distribute and sell movies independently,&#8221; Locals President Assaf Lev told the outlet.
<a href="https://rumble.com/embed/v10rzll/?pub=kqd4p">D&#8217;Souza said</a> the idea for the film came from <a href="https://rumble.com/embed/v10rzll/?pub=kqd4p">True the Vote&#8217;s</a> Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, who he said got a hold of a &#8220;treasure trove of cellphone data, this is called cellphone &#8220;geotracking,&#8221; which they believed proved &#8220;election fraud.&#8221; The two purport to show 2,000 people who allegedly made dozens of trips each to multiple drop boxes where they deposited mail-in ballots in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In the film, Phillips interviews an informant from Yuma County, Arizona, who alleged &#8220;mules&#8221; were paid based on the quantity of ballots they stuffed in drop boxes.
“I would get a call to find out how many ballots were brought in and if they were already pre-filled out first,” the informant, whose face was obscured and voice altered.
The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">Associated Press</a> said the film used &#8220;flawed analysis of cellphone location data and ballot drop box surveillance footage&#8221; to cast doubt on the 2020 election. It explained why it came to this conclusion:
The film focuses on &#8220;ballot harvesting,&#8221; which is a term for &#8220;dropping off completed ballots for people besides yourself.&#8221; The AP noted that the practice is &#8220;legal in several states but largely illegal in the states True the Vote focused on.&#8221;
D&#8217;Souza&#8217;s films have generated controversy in the past. His 2012 documentary, &#8220;2016: Obama&#8217;s America,&#8221; was based on his book, &#8220;The Roots of Obama&#8217;s Rage,&#8221; and grossed $33 million.More recently, he released &#8220;Trump Card&#8221; in 2020, which explored corruption in the Democratic Party.

Dinesh D’Souza-2

Dinesh D’Souza’s ‘2000 Mules’ Movie, Alleging Voter Fraud, Makes $1 Million On Streaming Sites

Dinesh D'Souza '2000 Mules' Movie, Alleging Voter Fraud, Makes $1 Million

Dinesh D’Souza

Movies

Following Biden’s first press conference in months, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki quickly moved to walk back the president’s confusing claims regarding the potential illegitimacy of upcoming elections.
“[Let&#8217;s] be clear: [President Biden] was not casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2022 election. He was making the opposite point: In 2020, a record number of voters turned out in the face of a pandemic, and election officials made sure they could vote and have those votes counted,” Psaki <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1484166810077483009">tweeted</a> on the morning after the press conference. “He was explaining that the results would be illegitimate if states do what the former president asked them to do after the 2020 election: toss out ballots and overturn results after the fact. The Big Lie is putting our democracy at risk. We’re fighting to protect it.”
Psaki doubled down on this claim during her first-ever appearance on Fox News’ &#8220;America’s Newsroom&#8221; on Thursday morning.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve talked to the president a lot about this, and he absolutely is not predicting that the 2022 elections would be illegitimate,&#8221; Psaki told co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino. “The point he was raising was both that in 2020, even amongst challenging circumstances, efforts to suppress the votes in the midst of a pandemic there was record turnout. Democrats and Republicans, record turnout to go to the polls.”
“And the point he was making is that the former president asked a number of states, seven or more in fact, to overturn the outcome of the election,” Psaki continued. “Now obviously, if there’s an effort to do that, we’ve got to fight against that. That’s what our commitment is to doing. But he was not making a prediction. He has confidence in the American people, and we’re going to do everything we can to protect people’s rights.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/DanaPerino?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaPerino</a>: &quot;I&#39;m curious if you&#39;ll continue to say the 2022 elections will be illegitimate?&quot;
Psaki: &quot;First I talked to the president a lot about this &amp; he absolutely is not predicting that the 2022 elections would be illegitimate.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8qsCkisPW1">pic.twitter.com/8qsCkisPW1</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1484175491569356804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On multiple occasions during the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/01/19/remarks-by-president-biden-in-press-conference-6/">press conference</a>, however, Biden appeared to imply that future elections may not be legitimate.
“Speaking of voting rights legislation, if this isn’t passed, do you still believe the upcoming election will be fairly conducted and its results will be legitimate?” asked one journalist.
“Well, it all depends on whether or not we’re able to make the case to the American people that some of this is being set up to try to alter the outcome of the election. And it’s one thing — look, maybe I’m just being too much of an optimist. Remember how we thought not that many people were going to show up to vote in the middle of a pandemic? We had the highest voter turnout in the history of the United States of America,” Biden responded. “Well, I think if, in fact — no matter how hard they make it for minorities to vote, I think you’re going to see them willing to stand in line and — and defy the attempt to keep them from being able to vote. I think you’re going to see the people who they’re trying to keep from being able to show up, showing up and making the sacrifice that needs to make in order to change the law back to what it should be.”
“A moment ago, you were asked whether or not you believed that we would have free and fair elections in 2022 if some of these state legislatures reformed their voting protocols. You said that it depends. Do you — do you think that they would in any way be illegitimate?” another journalist asked later on.
“Oh, yeah, I think it easily could be — be illegitimate,” Biden responded. When the journalist clarified that the question was regarding “2022, sir — the midterm elections,” Biden confirmed that he did, in fact, mean 2022.
“Oh, 2022. I mean, imagine if those attempts to say that the count was not legit. You have to recount it and we’re not going to count — we’re going to discard the following votes. I mean, sure, but — I’m not going to say it’s going to be legit. It’s — the increase and the prospect of being illegitimate is in direct proportion to us not being able to get these — these reforms passed,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;But I don’t think you’re going to see — you’re not going to see me and I don’t think you’re going to see the Democratic Party give up on — coming back and assuming that the attempt fails today.”
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at<a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth"> @ighaworth</a>.

Biden and Psaki

Jen Psaki Tries To Walk Back Biden’s ‘Illegitimate’ 2022 Election Claims

Jen Psaki

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said Tuesday that there is “absolutely” enough evidence to charge a group of Republicans with election fraud for falsely claiming to be the state’s electors during the last presidential election.
Nessel has yet to pursue charges against the 16 Republicans, instead referring the investigation to federal prosecutors for jurisdictional reasons, she said according to <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/18/dana-nessel-evidence-gop-electors-attorney-general-charges-prosecutors/6564921001/">The Detroit News</a>. Nessel did not rule out pursuing charges against the Republicans in the future.
“Seemingly there’s a conspiracy that occurred between multiple states. So if what your ultimate goal is, is not just to prosecute these 16 individuals, but to find out who put them up to this, is this part of a bigger conspiracy at play in order to undermine the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, not just in Michigan but nationally? &#8230; It creates jurisdictional issues,” Nessel said during a press conference, according to the <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/18/nessel-gop-electors-crimes-lansing-michigan/6563387001/">Detroit Free Press</a>.
“I feel confident we have enough evidence to charge if we decide to pursue that. Again, I want to make it clear, I haven&#8217;t ruled it out. But for all the reasons I stated, I think that it’s a better idea for the feds to pursue this,” she said.
The Michigan Republican Party slammed Nessel after the press briefing, accusing the Democrat of “playing political games.”
“Dana Nessel is playing political games with people’s lives and livelihoods for the sake of scoring political points ahead of an election,” GOP spokesman Gustavo Portela said in a statement.
On December 14, 2020, a group of 16 Democratic presidential electors met in the state Capitol to certify themselves as Michigan’s electors to cast votes in the 2020 presidential election. At the same time, a group of Republicans, including Michigan Republican Party Co-Chairwoman Meshawn Maddock and Republican National Committeewoman for Michigan Kathy Berden, met at the Michigan GOP’s headquarters to sign a certificate declaring themselves to be Michigan’s electors.
President Joe Biden beat former President Donald Trump in Michigan to win the state’s 16 electoral votes. Biden won the state with roughly 150,000 votes more than Trump.
The group of Republicans sent their certificate claiming to be “duly elected and qualified electors” to the National Archives. Republicans in several other states, such as Arizona and Pennsylvania, also signed up alternate groups up electors as Republicans voiced concerns over election security and a number of election law changes adopted across some states because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Republicans in Washington pushed for an emergency audit of the elections in states with competing slates of electors. As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ted-cruz-other-gop-senators-sign-letter-announcing-intent-to-vote-against-electors-from-disputed-states-until-election-audit-is-conducted">The Daily Wire</a> reported at the time:
<blockquote>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and 10 other GOP senators have <a href="https://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=press_release&amp;id=5541">signed a letter</a> announcing they will vote “to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’” until a 10-day emergency audit can be conducted in those states.
“We do not take this action lightly. We are acting not to thwart the democratic process, but rather to protect it,” Cruz wrote in the letter, which was released Saturday.
The letter states that the 2020 election “featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities,” which exceed previous elections and must be investigated fully.</blockquote>
The Senate certified the election for President Joe Biden early in the morning on January 7 after a riot in the Capitol building by pro-Trump protesters.

Dana Nessel

Michigan AG: ‘Absolutely’ Enough Evidence To Charge 2020 GOP Electors, Seemingly ‘Part Of A Bigger Conspiracy’

Michigan

A CNN host is concerned that letting Americans vote for a state-wide office threatens democracy, and is flogging Republicans for suggesting that the office be elected after it spent years ignoring George Soros&#8217; attempt to control it.
Filling in Tuesday night for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-cuomo-out-at-siriusxm-radio-show">recently fired Chris Cuomo</a> on the abruptly renamed “CNN Prime Time,” guest host Michael Smerconish twice warned that Trump voters in his home state have launched a dark conspiracy to overturn elections by having a statewide officeholder elected by the people instead of appointed by the governor.
And despite his concern over Republicans running for the office of secretary of state, which oversees election laws in each respective state, CNN apparently never mentioned the most concerted effort to capture this office: George Soros’ “Secretary of State Project.”
Michael Smerconish brought the subject up during the now-abbreviated handoff with Don Lemon at 10 p.m., after Lemon said he questioned the integrity of people who support election integrity. “I&#8217;m not sure if that really matters if they want to believe [in voter fraud] or they actually do believe it,” he said.
“Well, they are taking action on it,” replied Smerconish. He said the fact that a sizable percentage of Republicans’ constituents harbor doubts about the 2020 election “gives them the power to go in a state like Pennsylvania and say, ‘You know that secretary of state position? Let&#8217;s make it an elected gig, instead of an appointed job.’”
Smerconish did not explain how holding more elections would thwart the democratic process. He had raised the topic earlier in the show with David Leonhardt of The New York Times. Leonhardt warned that Republicans are seeking ways “to make it easier … for them to overturn an election result after it happens.”
“For example, my home state, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there&#8217;s a move afoot to make the Secretary of State, an elected official,” said Smerconish. “That&#8217;s what you&#8217;re talking about?”
“Yes,“ replied Leonhardt, although he immediately walked his statement back, noting “the mere fact of making the Secretary of State an elected position is not in itself threatening to democracy. There are many places where it is an elected position.”
Voters democratically elect the secretary of state in <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Secretary_of_State_(state_executive_office)">35 states</a>, including California, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Leonhardt also said that limiting mail-in balloting is not a “radical” stance, and that assuring ballot integrity by passing voter ID laws is “a legitimate thing for the government to do.”
Despite the CNN host&#8217;s concern over the partisan leanings of state election officials, the network seems to have dedicated no coverage whatever to George Soros’ campaign to elect Democrat-friendly candidates as secretary of state in swing states.
After the narrow 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, a coalition of left-wing donors known as the Democracy Alliance, including George Soros, began a 527 group called the Secretary of State Project (or SoS Project) aimed at electing progressives as the top election officials in states the Republican candidate won by less than 120,000 votes.
“Democrats have built an administrative firewall designed to protect their electoral interests in five of the most important battleground states,” <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2008/11/secretaries-of-state-give-dem-firewall-015105">reported</a> Politico in a story about the SoS Project just before the 2008 election. “The bulwark consists of control of secretary of state offices in five key states — Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio.”
“With a Democrat now in charge of the offices, which oversee and administer their state’s elections, the party is better positioned than in the previous elections to advance traditional Democratic interests … rather than Republican priorities such as stamping out voter fraud,” Politico noted.
Despite the group’s financial might and stated intention of controlling election law in swing states for partisan advantage, CNN appears not to have covered the Secretary of State Project a single time.
A comprehensive search of the network’s transcripts, and a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=%22secretary+of+state+project%22+site%3Acnn.com&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8">Google search</a> of its website, for stories on the topic yielded no results.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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