October 18, 2021 7:38 am
By Adrienne Cobb
Virginia Commission The newly-created Virginia Redistricting Commission, approved by voters during the 2020 election, failed to approve final district maps after members walked out to prevent a quorum. Instead of the legislature drawing district boundaries, the commission shares power evenly between eight Republicans and eight Democrats. There is no tie-breaking […]
September 28, 2021 8:06 am
By Adrienne Cobb
Republican Audits Arizona “Audit” After months of delay, the Arizona ‘fraudit’ conducted by the Cyber Ninjas has finally concluded with the release of a “draft” report finding that Biden, in fact, won Maricopa County – by a larger margin than the official count. The final tally, according to Cyber Ninjas’ opaque […]
August 30, 2021 7:38 am
By Adrienne Cobb
Subpoenas The Select Committee investigating the insurrection issued its first (publicly available) subpoenas last week, demanding information from eight federal agencies (docs): National Archives and Records Administration: All documents and communications within the White House on January 6 relating “in any way” to Trump, Trump’s tweets, reactions to Trump’s rally speech, […]
August 3, 2021 6:34 am
By Adrienne Cobb
First hearing The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack kicked off last week with testimony from four law enforcement officers who helped defend the Capitol. D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges called the attackers “terrorists” and recounted the ideology of the crowd: The sea of people was punctuated throughout […]
July 15, 2021 8:03 am
By Adrienne Cobb
This week’s Forensic News Roundup focuses on the federal courts and high-profile cases to watch. Jan. 6 lawsuit U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta (Obama appointee) asked the House General Counsel’s Office to weigh in on Rep. Eric Swalwell’s lawsuit against Rep. Mo Brooks for the latter’s role in the Jan. […]
June 23, 2021 9:38 am
By Adrienne Cobb
Nationwide injunctions Republicans under the Trump administration decried the judiciary’s use of nationwide injunctions against Trump policies – from the Muslim ban to the “public charge” rule to HUD Fair Housing Act changes. AG Jeff Sessions directed DOJ attorneys “to present strong and consistent arguments in court against the issuance of nationwide injunctions and to reaffirm […]
June 4, 2021 8:19 am
By Adrienne Cobb
Garland’s DOJ fights efforts to hold Trump accountable Mueller report The Justice Department is opposing the full release of a memo related to former AG William Barr clearing Trump of obstruction. After Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrapped up his investigation, the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) provided Barr with an […]
May 12, 2021 10:01 am
By Adrienne Cobb
FEC drops the ball The Federal Election Commission abruptly brought an end to its investigation into Trump’s 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, despite its own Office of General Counsel finding that the Trump campaign “knowingly and willfully” violated campaign finance law. The six-member panel split along […]