Advertisements in Swing States Mislead on Election Certification
As the 2024 election approached, advertisements began appearing in key swing states suggesting that local officials had discretion not to certify elections.
These advertisements, reported at the time, were misleading. Certification is not optional; officials are required to certify the vote once the proper process for any election challenges is complete and an official challenge is resolved. The warnings arrived at a moment when Donald Trump and his allies appeared to be preparing to contest the election results if he lost.
Funding and Leadership Linked to Election Deniers
New documents reviewed by reveal that the group behind these advertisements received financial support from a non-profit connected to prominent election deniers with ties to Trump. The same non-profit, the Foundation For Accountability Integrity & Research In Elections Fund (Fair Elections Fund), also paid influencers to promote an anti-voting bill in 2024.
Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer and longtime Trump ally who assisted his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, a researcher now working in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are both listed as directors of the fund, which was incorporated in Delaware in 2023.
Honey's appointment to an elections role at the DHS last year has caused considerable concern among voting rights groups, who argue it places an election denier in a powerful government position. Before joining the government, Honey made claims that Trump has cited to undermine confidence in the 2020 election. For example, she falsely asserted that there were more votes in Pennsylvania in 2020 than there were voters.
Her appointment coincides with ongoing efforts by Trump and his administration to sow doubt about the integrity of American elections, making baseless accusations of fraud without substantial evidence. Concerns remain that Trump could use the resources of the justice department and other government agencies to contest the results of the midterm elections this year.
Mitchell and Honey did not respond to requests for comment.
Democratic Senators Plan Response to Potential Election Interference
Ten Democratic senators, including minority leader Chuck Schumer, met last week with the party’s top election officials to discuss messaging strategies and potential legal actions amid fears that domestic actors or malign foreign entities might attempt to influence the midterm elections.
The meeting involved war-gaming a series of extreme scenarios, such as how to respond to federal agents at polling locations, ballot seizures in key battleground states, and foreign interference operations.
Trump has talked about stealing the election, violating the election, perverting the election, over and over again. And woe be us, and woe be anyone who believes in free elections, who doesn’t take that seriously. We are going to be prepared for anything that he throws at us.
This year’s midterms are expected to demonstrate how the president might wield federal government power in cities and states to ensure his party maintains control.
Experts warned on Tuesday that the narrative around California’s primary elections, where Trump lost, is likely to increase unfounded allegations as more races go against him.
California’s election is not the problem here,said Omar Noureldin, senior vice-president of policy and litigation at Common Cause, a pro-democracy watchdog group.
The problem is that we have a president in the Oval Office who continues to lie and sow doubt over elections instead of facing accountability from voters.
Trump Demands Additional Pentagon Funding Amid Economic Concerns
Donald Trump demanded that Republicans in Congress provide an additional $350 billion in funding for the Pentagon by passing a third reconciliation bill.
Trump dismissed concerns about new data showing inflation jumped to an annual rate of 4.2% in May by stating,
“I love the inflation”, but US House Speaker Mike Johnson accused critics of taking the president’s comment
“totally out of context.”Johnson explained,
“What he was saying is: ‘It’s going to be great to have that number and compare it to what comes next, when we get these situations resolved, that’ll be a fun thing to consider.’”
Controversy Over National Intelligence Appointment and Surveillance Law
As Trump appeared unwilling to back off his plan to install an unqualified political figure as acting director of national intelligence, Senate Democrats announced they would not vote to reauthorize a warrantless surveillance law set to expire on Friday.
Trump told Fox News that the US had fired 49 Tomahawk missiles at Iran on Wednesday and would
“bomb the shit out of them again on Thursday”if Iran’s leaders do not sign a peace agreement.
