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Donald Trump stands with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach before their meeting at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Nov. 20.

Mike Segar/Reuters

Donald Trumps attempt at voter suppression through his election integrity commission is a voting rights nightmare that is being enacted so clumsily it just might backfire.

Both before and after the election, Trump made wild and unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud and the system being rigged. Before the election, many of the claims were about voters voting five, 10, or 15 times by impersonating other voters. The ridiculous and unproven charges of voter fraud had a racial tinge, with suggestions the fraud would happen in majority minority communities.*According to the New York Times, he told an audience in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a few weeks before Election Day: I just hear such reports about Philadelphia. I hear these horror shows, and we have to make sure that this election is not stolen from us and is not taken away from us. He added for emphasis: Everybody knows what Im talking about.

After the election, he shifted his unsubstantiated fraud talk from rumormongering about voter impersonation to claims of massive noncitizen voting. Trump said repeatedly that 3 to 5 million illegal voters had cast ballots, a claim so outlandish it is hard to know where to start to refute it. (We could start with a Brennan Center report which, so far, has found a total of 30 cases nationwide of possible noncitizen voting. Thats 30, not 300, 3,000, 30,000, 300,000, or 3 million.) He claimed that none of the supposed fraudulent votes went to him.

In hindsight, the focus on noncitizen voting makes sense, and the endgame is about passing federal legislation to make it harder for people to register and vote. The noncitizen focus fits in with Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric as well as the rhetoric of Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who has been advising Trump on voter fraud issues. Kobach has repeatedly lost in lawsuits against the American Civil Liberties Union on account of his actions to make it harder for people to register and vote. Just last week, a federal magistrate judge fined him $1,000 for misleading the court by attempting to shield a document regarding his advice to Trump on how to make voter registration harder.

Trump has put Kobach in charge of a commission that is supposed to examine problems with voter fraud and report back to the president. (Vice President Mike Pence is the formal head, but it is clear Kobach is the one calling the shots.) Back in January, when Trump announced he would launch an investigation into voter fraud, I laid down some markers here at Slate for what a fair commission would look like. It would have bipartisan elder statesmen heads (like earlier voting commissions); it would have professional staff and rely on people with experience in running and analyzing elections; it would look for areas of bipartisan consensus.

Trumps commission is none of these things. There is no professional staff, a B-list of token Democrats to give the commission a bipartisan veneer, and the work is being done out of the Executive Office of the President. (Given that Trump is an announced candidate for the next presidential election, hes hardly a person who can be counted on for a fair and impartial review.)

Most importantly, the commission includes a rogues gallery of the countrys worst voter suppressors. Not just Kobach, but former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who was notorious for rejecting Ohio voter registration forms because they were not printed on heavy enough paper. And on Thursday, Trump added Hans von Spakovsky, one of the original leaders of what I termed the Fraudulent Fraud Squad.

Von Spakovsky has a history of making false and unsupported claims of voter fraud, and using them to argue for voting laws that make it harder to register and vote. In one notorious incident, chronicled in an excellent 2012 New Yorker profile by Jane Mayer, von Spakovsky claimed impersonation fraud was a major problem, pointing to a 1982 New York grand jury report. At the time von Spakovsky made the claims, I had been researching the topic of impersonation fraud for my book, The Voting Wars. I couldnt find a single election anywhere in the United States since the 1980s where impersonation fraud was used to swing an election. (Thats because it is an exceptionally dumb way to try to steal an election: Pay people to go to the polls claiming to be someone else, not know how they voted, hope they dont get caught by poll workers who may know the people being impersonated, and do it in large enough numbers to swing your candidate from defeat to victory.)

Despite my repeated requests, von Spakovsky would not turn over the grand jury report. When Mayer asked von Spakovsky why hed refused to give me the document, he told her he was not my research assistant. We were finally able to track it down, and it unsurprisingly did not support his case in the slightest.

Serious Democrats and Republicans know this effort is a sham. This is a faux commission.

Kobach, Blackwell, von Spakovskythis is a list meant to send a message to those who care about voting reform on both sides of the aisle that this is not a serious effort to propose bipartisan solutions. (Indeed, if you want bipartisan solutions, just turn to the 2014 report of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which was headed by Mitt Romneys lawyer Ben Ginsberg and Obamas lawyer Bob Bauer. But dont look at the government website which used to host the reportTrump took it down.)

Heres the likely endgame. Kobach has requested that every state send detailed voter information to the commission. Never mind the privacy concerns or the fact that this intrudes on what the right always refers to as states rights to run elections as they see fit. If a left-wing Obama appointee requested this information, it would prompt a federal investigation and be at the top of every Fox News segment for months.

Kobachs likely going to use this information to try to match voters and show there is bloat on the voter rolls, such as dead voters and people who have moved but have not been removed from the rolls. Hell also likely find a small number of noncitizens who are registered to vote. Doing this kind of matching well is tough business: It is easy to claim that two people with the same name are the same person, or that someone is a felon because he has the same name as a felon. But Kobach will not be relying on election administration professionals to do that work; hes going to use the presidents staff.

The report will likely conclude that even if there is no evidence of actual voter fraud, the potential for voter fraud and noncitizen voting is there because of inaccurate rolls. Accordingly, they will argue it is necessary to roll back the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (or motor voter law)a law which folks like Kobach hate because among other things it requires states to offer voter registration at public service agencies. Theyll want federal law to do what federal courts have so far forbidden Kobach to do: Require people to produce documentary proof of citizenship before registering to vote. In other words, show us your papers or you cant register.

Repealing the enfranchising parts of the motor voter law would be a terrible thing, but the good news is that the electoral integrity commissions efforts are already so outlandish and lacking in credibility that it will do nothing to help get the law repealed. Serious Democrats and Republicans know this effort is a sham. This is a faux commission that is not following sound social science or bipartisan principles.

Thats not to say there wont be an attempt to kill the motor voter law. Indeed, the move toward voter suppression is proceeding apace. Just this week, a House committee voted to defund the United States Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency which is charged with certifying the security of voting machines and coming up with best practices for election administration. And the U.S. Department of Justice is looking to make states enforce the voter purge provisions of the 1993 motor voter law.

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Trump knows fraud. You have to give him that. More...

But the Trump commission process has been so poorly handled that whatever it concludes will be likely ignored by serious people, even while the president latches onto it to make it harder for people to register and vote. Hes overplayed his hand, and we should be thankful for that.

*Correction, July 2, 2017:This article originally referred to Donald Trumps unproven charges of voter suppression in the 2016 election rather than unproven charges of voter fraud.

Go here to see the original:
Trump's Voter Fraud Endgame - Slate Magazine

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to a reporter's question during a joint news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, June 9, 2017.Jonathan ErnstReuters

President Donald Trump suggested that he is considering suing CNN, who employs what he called "horrible human beings," according to leaked audio from a Republican National Committee event held in his Washington, D.C., hotel Wednesday night.

Trump hosted the gathering at the Trump International Hotel to fundraise for his re-election campaign . Attendees were charged $35,000 to $100,000 per seat.

"Boy, did CNN get killed over the last few days," Trump said to the applause of the audience, according to the Intercept , who obtained the audio despite media being barred from the event.

Last week, the network was forced to retract a story that linked a Trump ally to a Russian bank. CNN issued an apology and three of the network's journalists subsequently resigned.

Trump then zeroed in on CNN political commentator Van Jones, whom the President noted was recently captured on a secretly recorded video calling the allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government a "nothing burger," along with CNN President Jeff Zucker.

"Van Jones you see this man?" Trump said. "These are really dishonest people. Should I sue them? I mean, theyre phonies. Jeff Zucker, I hear hes going to resign at some point pretty soon. I mean, these are horrible human beings."

"Its a shame what theyve done to the name CNN, that I can tell you," Trump added. "But as far as Im concerned, I love it. If anybodys a lawyer in the house and thinks I have a good lawsuit I feel like we do. Wouldnt that be fun?"

Link:
President Trump Calls CNN Staff 'Horrible Human Beings' in Leaked Audio From RNC Fundraiser - TIME

It started well enough: Soon after Donald Trump won the presidency, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated him, pledging to team with him on trade and security to give Canadians and Americans a fair shot at success.

We're going to keep working withpeopleright around the world. We're going to work with our neighbors, and I'm going to work with President-elect Trump's administration, as we move forward in a positive way for, not justCanadians and Americans, but the whole world, Trudeau said at an event in Ottawa.

Sure, it lacked some of the bombast of a complimentfrom the lips of a Trump Cabinet member.But it seemed like the start of a working relationship. It probably helped that Trudeau had studiously avoided criticizing Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign (though oneLiberal Party fundraisingemail, from September 2016, characterized the American election as a fundamental choice betweenhope or fear, diversity or division and openness and inclusion, or turning our backs on the world. No candidates were named.)

But therelationship between the pair has since gone south.

First, there was Trudeau's Jan. 28Twitter dig at Trump's ban on travel from seven Muslim nations:To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.

Then cametheir first meeting, during which Trudeau famously neutralized the president's handshake.

And there was Trump's strange decision to refer to Trudeau as Justin from Canada in a speech, a relaxed descriptor that struck some as dismissive.

Then there was also a nasty fight over trade and tariffs, during which Trump called Canada a disgrace for its policies that hurt American dairy farmers. (Trudeau's response: The way to do that is to make arguments in a respectful fashion, based on facts, and work constructively and collaboratively with our neighbors.")

Trump also has threatened to"get rid of NAFTA once and for all," which would put Canada in a tough spot.

Trump, however, seems to have changed his tune at least for a day. In honor of Canada Day, the president praised his "new found friend" Justin Trudeau.

Thatshout-out perhapsreflects Trudeau's wide-ranging efforts to winTrump over, even as he opposes many of the president's policies.As the New York Times explained:Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus strategy for managing Mr. Trump is unlike anything tried by another ally. And he has largely succeeded where even experienced leaders like Angela Merkel of Germany have fallen short.

Trudeau's strategy:In the days after Trump won the presidency, Trudeau put together a war room of America-whisperers, seeking to cultivate relationships with people around the president. The prime minister has gone out of his way to compliment Trump, praising his ability to listen and suggesting that the president isn't a typical politician obsessed with being right. He invited the president's older daughter, Ivanka, to a Broadway show in March, and chaired a panel with her on women in business.

Maintaining good relations with Trump is important for Canada because, as Politico explained:

In Trump, Trudeau has the most unnatural of confederates: a man whose policies he must opposeandwhose professional partnership he requires. No matter how philosophically different they may be, Trump must be approached gingerly because of Canadas place in the world and dependence on its economic relationship with the U.S. Perhaps that is why at times Trudeau seems to go out of his way not to irk the tempestuous elephant next door.

Europeans have praised Trudeau's efforts.The way in which Canada relates to this novelty is interesting, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said in an interview. He praised Trudeau's strategy of finding common ground with Trump as an effective strategy, saying I think that Canada's example can allow us to have good relations.

And it's paid off in some ways. White House advisers called Trudeau to ask him to persuade Trump to remain in NAFTA. The deal seems safe, at least for now.

Canadians, though, seem a little more skeptical of the budding bromance. In response to Trump's tweet, some replied:

Read more:
Donald Trump's very affectionate tweet about Justin Trudeau, explained - Washington Post

Update That was fast: Donald Trumps Saturday afternoon Twitter triple-play just became a foursome, with the oddest parsing of terminology since, well, the difference between fake and fraud 40 minutes ago: My use of social media is not Presidential its MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!

Previous President Donald Trump, one day into the July 4th long holiday weekend and two days into overwhelming criticism for tweeting about a faceliftMika Brzezinski didnt have, just lashed out again at the FAKE & FRAUDULENT NEWS MEDIA for working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media.

In a three-part (so far) tweet see them separately below Trump writes, TheFAKE & FRAUDULENT NEWS MEDIA is working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media but remember, I won the 2016 election with interviews, speeches and social media. I had to beat #Fake News, and did. We will continue to WIN! I am thinking about changing the name #FakeNews CNN to #FraudNewsCNN! The last of these was briefly pinned to Trumps profile page, making it as the top tweet any visitor would see.

Republican politicos including Paul Ryan and Ben Sasse didnt need much encouragement from CNN or other news outlets to condemn the presidents crude, personal tweets about Morning Joes Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. House speaker Ryan said about the facelift tweet, Obviously I dont see that as an appropriate comment, while Sen.Ben Sasse tweeted, Please just stop. This isnt normal and its beneath the dignity of your office.

Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.

Exactly why Trump is parsing the difference between fake and fraud in his nickname for CNN went unexplained in this afternoons presidential Twitter triptych.

Here are the tweets:

Read this article:
Donald Trump Ponders The Finer Points Of Fake, Fraud & Presidential Update - Deadline

Kevin DrumJul. 1, 2017 10:21 PM

Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via ZUMA

A reader emails to ask why I havent written about Seymour Hershs story from last week that accuses Donald Trump of ignoring evidence that Syrias chemical attack in April wasnt actually a chemical attack at all. Its worth an answer.

First off, theres some background. Hershs main outlet was the New Yorker until a few years ago. But they refused to publish his 2013 article making the same accusation against the Obama administration, so the London Review of Books published it instead. But the LRB declined to publish his latest one, so it ended up in a German newspaper. Thats two well-respected publications that have parted ways with Hersh. Why?

Second, Hershs latest piece is almost completely single-sourced to a senior advisor to the American intelligence community. Thats mighty vague. And boy, does this advisor know a lot. He seems to have an almost photographic recall of every meeting and every decision point that preceded Trumps cruise missile attack. Its hardly credible that a civilian advisor could be as plugged in as this guy apparently is.

These things dont inspire confidence. So now lets take a look at the piece he wrote. Heres an excerpt:

Some American military and intelligence officials were especially distressed by the presidents determination to ignore the evidence. None of this makes any sense, one officer told colleagues upon learning of the decision to bomb. We KNOW that there was no chemical attack the Russians are furious. Claiming we have the real intel and know the truth I guess it didnt matter whether we elected Clinton or Trump.

And now heres an excerpt from his 2013 piece:

The same official said there was immense frustration inside the military and intelligence bureaucracy: The guys are throwing their hands in the air and saying, How can we help this guy Obama when he and his cronies in the White House make up the intelligence as they go along?

This is way too similar. In fact, the whole 2017 piece reads like a warmed-over version of his 2013 article. I just dont trust it.

Plus theres this: the Trump administration is one of the leakiest in memory. If Trump flatly ignored the advice of every one of his military advisorswhich is what Hersh saysits hard to believe that this wouldnt also have leaked to one of the legion of national security reporters in DC, who have demonstrated that theyre pretty sourced up. But so far, no one has even remotely corroborated Hershs story.

Is this because the mainstream media is afraid to report this stuff? Please. Theyd see Pulitzers dancing before their eyes. Theres not a reporter in the entire city who wouldnt go after this story.

You never know. Maybe Hersh will turn out to be right. Its certainly a compelling and detailed story he tells. But for now, I dont believe it.

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Read the rest here:
Did Donald Trump Invent a Chemical Attack in Syria? - Mother Jones