Plus, True the Vote leaders are in jail and the climate crisis has an inequality problem.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022

Hello! In this issue:
* “Big Lie” sheriffs ([link removed]) who believe their powers supersede those of the president and the Supreme Court.

* The climate crisis’ inequality problem ([link removed]) .

* True the Vote leaders are in jail, and the journey of what’s led them there follows a pattern we highlighted in our June investigation.


** NEW
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** These Sheriffs Say They’re More Powerful Than the President. Now, They’re Targeting Elections.
By Jessica Pishko
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** Richard Mack, shown in 2018, is a former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, and has started a network of sheriffs who believe their powers supersede those of the president and the Supreme Court. Credit: Matt York/Associated Press
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Richard Mack ([link removed]) leads a network of sheriffs across the country who hold a bold belief: They say their powers supersede those of the president and the Supreme Court.

The so-called constitutional sheriffs movement is rooted in a far-right ideology promulgated by the virulently racist Posse Comitatus movement. A core tenant of Posse Comitatus was a reverence for county-level law enforcement, specifically elected sheriffs. According to the ideology, a sheriff could interpose – or block – federal and state laws, so long as those laws were deemed “unconstitutional.” Posse Comitatus ideals spread throughout the West, inspiring sovereign citizen and militia movements.

As a sheriff in Arizona, Mack made his name opposing gun control. Then, during the pandemic, he led protests against vaccines and masks. Today, his group has been energized by a new cause: former President Donald Trump’s Big Lie ([link removed]) .

Reporter Jessica Pishko has been following the movement for years, attending big rallies and the small biweekly meetings of far-right groups. As she reports ([link removed]) for us, these sheriffs are teaming up with far-right groups in an intense, concerted push to monitor absentee ballot drop boxes.

To be clear, sheriffs do not have authority over elections, which are run by county recorders or other local officials. Once there is a criminal complaint, sheriffs, as law enforcement officials, can sometimes investigate these violations, which are sometimes felonies carrying prison time.

But the specter of coordination ([link removed]) between legitimate law enforcement – which has the backing of law, courts and taxpayer-funded weapons – and militia-inspired vigilantes raises increasing concerns about voter intimidation heading into next week’s midterm elections and beyond. It also hints at a schism beyond repair. As the leader of one group affiliated with the Oath Keepers militia said at a recent meeting focused on voter fraud: “This nation is divided. … That is leading to civil unrest and eventually a civil war.”
Read the full story ([link removed])


** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** Climate Makers and Takers
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Scientists predict average sea levels at the end of this century will be at least a foot higher than they were in 2000. And that’s if the world succeeds in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The world’s 20 biggest economies are responsible for about 80% of such emissions. That’s left more vulnerable countries asking: What are the richest countries going to do to pay for the damage they’ve caused?

This week on Reveal ([link removed]) , with the Threshold podcast, we explore the climate crisis’ inequality problem.
Listen to the episode ([link removed])

🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , Google Podcasts ([link removed]) , Stitcher ([link removed]) or wherever you get your podcasts.
It’s not just politics as usual.
Defend democracy. Support investigative journalism.
Donate today ([link removed]) .


** REVEAL EXPLAINS
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** Your Guide to the Attack on Democracy
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** Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips of True the Vote. Photo credits: Samuel Corum/Getty Images, Gage Skidmore and CNN.com screenshot
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Two of the Big Lie leaders went to jail. Over the summer, we exposed ([link removed]) how leaders at True the Vote had turned the Big Lie into what appeared to be a big grift. They followed a pattern: They made big claims about voter fraud and promised to release evidence. But they never did. Instead, they fundraised and diverted ([link removed]) a significant amount of the money back to themselves in questionable ways.

A lot has happened to True the Vote since our story ([link removed]) came out, and much of it fits the same pattern that our investigation highlighted.
* Their film “2000 Mules” has become a sensation on the right, fueling the narrative that the 2020 election was stolen by left-wing groups that used what they refer to as “mules” to deliver batches of fraudulent ballots. As they did in the past, True the Vote leaders Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips promised to release evidence that would prove their claims. But they never did and continued fundraising. That hasn’t stopped the film from taking off. The film has been debunked ([link removed]) , down to the claim that they helped the FBI solve a murder.

* Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich requested that the FBI and IRS investigate True the Vote. The office of the Republican attorney general, who has been pursuing voting prosecutions aggressively, referred ([link removed]) the organization to the FBI after its leaders met with his agents a number of times but, he said, never turned over the evidence of fraud they’d promised. He also requested ([link removed]) that the IRS look at its finances.

* A judge sent Engelbrecht and Phillips to jail this week ([link removed]) . This one gets a bit complicated: True the Vote has accused election software company Konnech of hosting sensitive data on poll workers on a server in China, and its CEO, Eugene Yu, of being a Chinese operative. Yu’s been charged ([link removed]) with conspiracy to embezzle public funds and grand theft in Los Angeles as a result. But he’s also sued ([link removed]) the pair and True the Vote for defamation. The judge in that case held them in contempt of court for failing to name the source of their information – someone who they claim is an FBI informant. True the Vote immediately began fundraising
([link removed]) off the jailing.

🗣️ Want to suggest a story or topic explainer for our next issue? Is there a specific democracy issue you want us to curate reporting around? Do you have a question about a certain state and its election? Anything goes. Email us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .


** IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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** Our Latest Investigation: The New Front in Voter Suppression
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A Reveal analysis finds state legislators across the country are trying to dramatically increase voting-related prosecutions, inspired by Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. Explore the full investigation ([link removed]) .
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** 📝 Big Lie Proponents Are Creating Harsh Criminal Penalties for Elections Activity ([link removed])
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** 🎧 The Ballot Boogeymen ([link removed])
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** 🔎 Search for the Crime Bills That Target Voting and Elections in Your State ([link removed])
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** 🗳️ Ballot Collection Rules Have Changed in Many Places. Here’s How to Make Sure Your Vote Counts. ([link removed])
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** 🗣️ How Are Voter Suppression Tactics Affecting You and Your Community? ([link removed])
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** Final Note
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* Our new documentary feature film, “The Grab,” is being screened in New York City at DOC NYC ([link removed]) on Nov. 13 and 14. If you’re outside of New York, the festival has tickets available to screen the film online. Buy your ticket today ([link removed]) . Online viewing is only Nov. 14-27.

This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Andrew Donohue and Kassie Navarro and copy edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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