As the November elections get closer, the number of candidates on the ballot beholden to the Big Lie remains alarmingly high. 


** News Roundup: Election Deniers Gear Up for Midterms
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Election Deniers and the Jan. 6 Investigation
As the November elections get closer, the number of candidates on the ballot beholden to the Big Lie remains alarmingly high.
* A recent analysis from the New York Times ([link removed]) put the figure at more than 370 — including candidates for Congress, governor, secretary of state, and other offices, all of whom “represent a sentiment that is spreading in the Republican Party, rupturing a bedrock principle of democracy: that voters decide elections and candidates accept results.”
* The Associated Press ([link removed]) took a look at the election deniers in Arizona whose candidacies raise “questions about what they might do regarding elections and certification of results once in office, especially in regard to the 2024 presidential race.”
* The FBI has also identified Arizona ([link removed]) as a top state for threats against election workers. Election officials across the country have been facing harassment ([link removed]) from pro-Trump conspiracy theorists, some even being driven ([link removed]) out of office ([link removed]) .
* Meanwhile, the Times reports ([link removed]) , right-wing activists “mobilized by some of the same people who tried to overturn Mr. Trump’s defeat in 2020” are engaged in a “broad and aggressive effort to monitor voting in search of evidence that confirms their theories.” Read more here ([link removed]) and here ([link removed]) .


On Wednesday, a federal judge said that more emails from Trump attorney John Eastman needed to be turned over ([link removed]) to the select committee investigating Jan. 6. According to the judge, the emails show that Trump had signed legal documents containing purported evidence of election fraud that he knew to be false ([link removed]) . Here are other headlines related to the Jan. 6 and election-subversion investigations:
* January 6 committee member says panel will ask former Secret Service agent to testify again (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Congress asks Secret Service for an account of all contacts between agency, Oath Keepers up to and on Jan. 6, 2021 (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler testify to grand jury in Georgia investigating 2020 election interference (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Texts from Loeffler’s phone shed light on activities ahead of Jan. 6 and 2021 runoff (Atlanta Journal Constitution ([link removed]) )
* Lindsey Graham must testify in 2020 election investigation, court rules (Washington Post ([link removed]) )


Trump Administration Accountability
The Washington Post reported ([link removed]) this week that the Trump Organization had charged the U.S. Secret Service five and six times the government rate to stay at Trump’s properties when he and his family were visiting — in one case charging agents $1,185 a night to stay at the Trump International Hotel in D.C.
* “The records contradict the repeated claim made by Eric Trump … that the family’s company often gave the Secret Service agents the hotel rooms ‘at cost’ or sometimes free.”
* Records we previously obtained showed that during Eric Trump’s four trips ([link removed]) to the Turnberry resort in Scotland between late 2016 and July 2017, Turnberry charged taxpayers $32,742 for agents’ hotel costs.



On the Records

DeSantis’ Migrant Flights
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office appears to have been in contact with the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott regarding DeSantis’ controversial migrant flight program, according to documents ([link removed]) we obtained, reported on by the Miami Herald ([link removed]) .
* The records from the Texas governor’s office include a text message sent in September by DeSantis’ chief of staff, sharing Keefe’s contact information with Abbott’s chief of staff.
* Other documents publicly released in response to requests from the Florida Center for Government Accountability revealed that top DeSantis aides, including “public safety czar” Larry Keefe, played a key role in planning for the flights. We also filed requests for those documents, which indicate that other flights to Delaware and Illinois ([link removed]) were potentially being planned; those responses are available ([link removed]) here ([link removed]) ,


The Trump Administration’s Hatch Act Violations
Days before the 2020 election, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tweeted a video praising Donald Trump — yet another instance of a Trump administration official engaging in what critics said was partisan political activity prohibited by federal law. The tweet praised the efforts of Trump and his administration that had been taken close to the election.
* In 2020, we filed a FOIA request with Interior for records related to the creation of the video; emails we obtained ([link removed]) show a department videographer was concerned the video violated federal law: “I don’t see how this request is anything but a Hatch Act violation.”
* In November 2021, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, citing this video and several other incidents, found that Bernhardt had violated the Hatch Act ([link removed]) . The OSC also found that more than a dozen other Trump officials had violated the act.

USPS Redacts Costs of DeJoy’s Office Renovations
In response to our request for information about costs of any renovations to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s office suites, the U.S. Postal Service sent us documents ([link removed]) in which every item related to actual costs was redacted.
* This level of secrecy is not typical — we've routinely obtained office renovation expenses from federal agencies, such as this invoice ([link removed]) for former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's secret phone booth.
* The records do indicate that the scope of work included demolition and new cabinets and doors, as well as two paintings of Ben Franklin and some rugs.

Other Stories We're Following

Threats to Democracy and Election Denial
* Trump operative seen on video in Georgia voting system breach testifies before special grand jury (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Wisconsin lawyer suing over fake elector plot wants to probe Ron Johnson’s Jan. 6 communications (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* Ron Johnson website and video urge reporting of suspected election problems (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* York County, Pa., plans hand count of November ballots after meeting with audit group (York Dispatch ([link removed]) )


Trump Administration Accountability
* Trump’s Mar-a-Lago fundraising boost came with big costs (Politico ([link removed]) )
* FBI seeks additional information from two Trump aides about Mar-a-Lago records (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Trump deposed at Mar-a-Lago in case brought by sexual assault accuser (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Acquittal of Russia analyst deals final blow to Trump-era prosecutor (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Trump acknowledged in interview that letters to Kim were ‘top secret’ (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Trump adviser Kash Patel has appeared before grand jury in Mar-a-Lago document probe (CNN ([link removed]) )


In the States
* Wasted funds, destroyed property: How sheriffs undermined their successors after losing reelection (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* Weeks after Hurricane Ian, hundreds of Floridians remain in shelters (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* The Texas border county at the center of a dangerous right-wing experiment (The Intercept ([link removed]) )
* Ducey's migrant bus policy divides immigrant aid organizations (Arizona Mirror ([link removed]) )
* DeSantis administration agrees to release Martha's Vineyard records by December (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Judge rules in favor of the Times-Dispatch on Youngkin FOIA challenge (Richmond Times-Dispatch ([link removed]) )


Voting Rights
* In Arizona, alleged voter intimidation at drop boxes worries officials (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Republicans want Pa. Supreme Court to stop undated mail ballots from being counted (Philadelphia Inquirer ([link removed]) )
* Donald Trump’s plan to kill mail ballots in Pennsylvania (Semafor ([link removed]) )
* Police cameras show confusion, anger over DeSantis’ voter fraud arrests (Tampa Bay Times ([link removed]) )
* Felon advocates demand DeSantis fix ‘broken system’ after voter fraud arrests (Tampa Bay Times ([link removed]) )
* ‘Read the fine print’: Small text size on Maricopa County's massive ballots worries voter advocates (Votebeat ([link removed]) )
* Texas attorney general sending election monitors to Harris County (Houston Chronicle ([link removed]) )


National News
* Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Appeals court says financial watchdog agency CFPB’s structure is unconstitutional (NPR ([link removed]) )


The Coronavirus Pandemic
* False claim that CDC would require Covid vaccines for kids goes viral (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* CDC officials describe intense pressure, job threats from Trump White House (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Top CDC scientist said Covid-era health policy used to expel migrants unfairly stigmatized them (CBS News ([link removed]) )

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