Quiet Part Out Loud Dep’t: Trey Trainor Says He “Fought for” Trump “Every Single Day Throughout the Biden Presidency” When He Was an FEC Commissioner electionlawblog.org?p=154162

ICYMI, last Friday was the 50th anniversary of Buckley v. Valeo - the case that declared money is speech and set the ground for Citizens United. Like Citizens United, it was wrong when decided. www.citizensforethics.org/news/analysi...

50 years ago today the Court decided that money is speech. Defenders claim the Court saved democracy and safeguarded free speech, but in line with its true effect, its fitting its 50th is marked by the blatantly unconstitutional arrest of a journalist. www.citizensforethics.org/news/analysi...

Today marks the 16th anniversary of Citizens United - a decision responsible for flooding our elections with billions in dark money and putting national policy up for auction. We were told the 1A commanded this because it did not permit distinction between speakers....

New paper w/ Kulesza & @cmwitko.bsky.social A worry about campaign contribution limits is that they don't stop money, they just shift it to Citizens United/SpeechNow "independent expenditures" We find that this didn't happen. Keep calm & regulate on www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nk11m... 1/n

2d 🧵 on Trump: www.citizensforethics.org/reports-inve...

🧵 on what 2 courts have said about J6 and Trump's role in it, and why it bars oath-breaking insurrectionists from office:

Today SCOTUS may well put an end to independent agencies (save for the Fed). In the process, it may very well end the independence of the FEC - the agency that policies campaigns, including a president’s. So what could that look like and what to do about it

I think we underestimate how much of Republicans' signaling and decision-making is based not only on political expedience, but literal fear that angering Trump and his followers will endanger their — and their families'— safety. A quick 🧵

We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com. We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans. washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

New @rfunkfordham.bsky.social report on the 15th anniversary of Citizens United. The evidence is now clear, in part through Rachel's research, that CitUtd has: -increased the influence of billionaires -reduced state democratic performance -made state governments more rightwing -increased corruption

On Friday, @citizensforethics.org told the Supreme Court to stop substituting clear enforceable rules that can stop corruption for ineffectual, easily evadable, and ultimately unenforceable subjective standards that cannot. www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action...

$201 million for the National Guard to patrol national monuments, pick up trash and shovel mulch in DC sure doesn't seem "efficient" to us...

Will the Court that has adamantly insisted any incidental inhibition on spending on electioneering is unconstitutional agree Americans cant be taxed to watch, e.g., "Life is Beautiful"?

DC statehood now.

Speaking of instigating political violence, Colorado Supreme Court had some thoughts (based on actual evidence and after adversarial proceeding):

The AZ Supreme Ct. will shortly hear arguments on a case that seeks to extend a recent enigma: the claim that the First Amendment actually requires less speech.

NEW: Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in LA lacks justification from American history or judicial precedent. We filed an amicus brief asking the 9th Circuit to affirm the lower court's temporary restraining order blocking these actions.

A court had this to say about those who attended the January 6 insurrection when disqualifying a state official under the 14th Amendment. www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/u...

On January 6th, Donald Trump took hours to send in the National Guard as insurrectionists threatened lawmakers and local police. Now he's deploying federal law enforcement in DC on a random Monday. This is about exerting power, not public safety.

Excellent piece by @joshchafetz.bsky.social. The Court thinks politics is hopelessly sordid all while it deprives the public of the legal means to do anything about it.

With Colton's conviction, that makes FOUR pardoned January 6th insurrectionists who have faced charges for solicitation of a minor or child sex abuse of some kind.

The country will lose an estimated $500 billion in incoming revenue this year alone due to cuts at the IRS. And that's just one example of harm of DOGE's cuts. We compiled a whole lot more here:

At least 10 pardoned Jan 6 insurrectionists have already been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes—ranging from violent threats to child exploitation. If Trump was serious about public safety, he wouldn’t have pardoned them. 🧵

NEW: We just filed our response to the government's appeal asking the Supreme Court to halt discovery in our DOGE Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. We'll keep fighting for the American people's right to transparency for as long as it takes. www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/u...

NEW: Dark money spending in the 2024 federal elections hit $1.9 billion — nearly double the previous record. This is an unprecedented surge in secret political spending. Here’s the full @brennancenter.bsky.social report with all of the details: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Notable that permanent residents are entitled to *contribute to political campaigns*, which even then judge Kavanaugh recognized.

Justin Sun bought $75 million in tokens from the Trump family's crypto business, World Liberty Financial. He's also an official advisor to the company. What happened once Trump took office? The SEC decided to put its fraud case against Sun on hold.

As President Trump reshapes the government, firing watchdogs and bulldozing guardrails, a crucial campaign finance case at the D.C. Circuit raises the question of whether Americans can protect themselves against corruption in elections, or if they must rely on Trump allies. 🧵

Presidents are not kings Presidents are not kings Presidents are not kings Presidents are not kings Presidents are not kings

On birthright citizenship - what do the EO proponents propose happen with 2d or 3d generation kids. What if a newly non-citizen child grows up and has their own kids. Still not citizens? What state are they citizens of? Are we to have a stateless permanent caste?

Donald Trump has taken unprecedented action by attempting to illegally fire Federal Election Commission Commissioner Ellen Weintraub. This is part of a continued attack on oversight and accountability. Stand for the rule of law and show your support: actionnetwork.org/pe...

Canada is bigger than California. If Canada was admitted to US on par with Wyoming, it’d be 68 states. Those 68 new reps would likely flip the house and, when the new 136 senators are added to current Ds, would provide >2/3 needed to impeach and convict.

How long before we see “wanted, dead or alive” posters as way to outsource enforcement of court orders?

Anyone yet put together a version of trump’s “they’re not after me, they’re after you, I’m just in the way” meme for the civil service?

IT IS TIME TO ACT. Tell FEC general counsel Lisa Stevenson ([email protected]) that she MUST enforce the law and ignore this illegal act.

Where did all those “it’s a republic, not a democracy” people go?

Where did all those “it’s a republic, not a democracy” people go?

Everything is burning, but to carry out this dumb mental game - Canada is 40 million people. That's >68 times as big as Wyoming. So Canada, if admitted, should be our 51-118th states.

For all federal employees: Before you are locked out of your systems, ensure you have copies of unclassified performance appraisals, awards & other relevant personnel docs. If you have access to your office, grab your more important personal items sooner rather than later.

Has anyone archived the FEC's database? If not, how can I do so?

Left out of the discussion of Trump's destruction of federal law enforcement is fact that, DC, as a colony, is wholly dependent on it. Will Trump's DC USA prosecute any car jackings, rapes, and murders in the district, or will there be no time left after revising history and letting out loyalists.

Thing about meta’s settlement agreement with Trump is that there’s a 5 year statute of limitations on bribery.

Thorough new report from @campaignlegal.org on dysfunction of FEC, the country's frontline against corruption. Would only add the importance of empowering private lawsuits to ensure vigorous enforcement by those not beholden to officials and their benefactors. campaignlegal.org/sites/defaul...

Maybe it was a good idea to bar insurrectionists from power they could use to aid their co-belligerents.

As Trump is finally sentenced, worth reflecting on why he wasn’t charged sooner by federal authorities for the underlying violations of federal campaign finance laws, the attempted coverup of which made Trump’s New York crimes felonies.

Crazy we’re talking about forcing countries to become states against their will when you have 700,000 Americans in DC waiting for it. (Or is idea to make these new territories colonies without representation too).

The House Ethics Committee found that Matt Gaetz: -Paid young women tens of thousands of dollars for sex -Violated Florida's statutory rape law -Used illegal drugs including cocaine and ecstasy -Violated the House gift rule around a trip to the Bahamas -Tried to obstruct its investigation

If a paper uses AI to generate another “side” of a story to oppose the one based on verified reporting, does that paper open itself up to a liable lawsuit for anything defamatory in the AI version given it’s done in intentional opposition to the verified facts?

@crew.bsky.social filed an amicus yesterday in support of Arizona's Voters' Right to Know Act, currently being challenged by two Koch-aligned groups. www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action...