Tag: law

“This is the heat of the general election, and the same person is acting as an agent for the NRA and the Trump campaign.” Reporting by The Trace, which has teamed up with Mother Jones to investigate the NRA’s political activity, shows that the NRA and the Trump campaign employed the same operation—at times, the exact same people—to craft and execute their advertising strategies for the 2016 presidential election. The investigation, which involved a review of more than 1,000 pages of Federal Communications Commission and Federal Election Commission documents, found multiple instances in which National Media, through its affiliates Red Eagle and AMAG, executed ad buys for Trump and the NRA that seemed coordinated to enhance each other. Experts say the arrangement appears to violate campaign finance laws. AMAG does not appear to have any employees or contacts independent of National Media; a lawyer who has been identified in news accounts as representing AMAG did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Records in the FCC “public inspection files”—files that television stations maintain in order to comply with transparency regulations around political advertising—show that Red Eagle and AMAG often bought ads around the same time, on the same stations, for the NRA and the Trump campaign, respectively. FCC documents also list her as the AMAG buyer or contact for various other Florida stations. “In mid-September,” the book says, “Angle and his boss were summoned to Trump Tower and told their firm would be placing all of the Trump campaign’s television advertising during the last seven weeks of the campaign.” Angle is listed on National Media’s website as a “senior media buyer.” In October, his name appeared in FCC paperwork as the contact for an NRA ad buy, placed through Red Eagle, at an ABC station in Denver. Ferrell’s “efforts help [National Media] provide optimal financial stewardship of campaign media budgets.” Kovatch “has consistently bought the largest media markets around the country, building an extensive knowledge of ratings, costs and seasonal trends across all time periods and dayparts.” Angle uses his “extensive experience” to “strategically place efficient and effective media buys for our clients.” And Kowalski “acted as a liaison between media buyers and TV, radio, and cable networks,” and “researched voter demographic data to help create” advertising campaigns for, among others, “presidential” candidates and “issue-advocacy groups.” Prior reporting has identified consulting firms as conduits for potentially illegal coordination between campaigns and outside groups. Documents authorizing the purchase were signed by Ferrell, whose colleague Ben Angle, the senior buyer at National Media, has been a proponent of sports as a way to reach conservative audiences. Angle’s name appears on Trump campaign paperwork documenting the Raycom purchase, directly above “AMAG.” After reviewing the Raycom records, Wilson said the pattern suggests the purchases were part of a unified strategy by the NRA and the Trump campaign.

The second involves AfriForum and Parliament, over land. Given the strategists involved in the ANC nowadays, it is entirely possible that there was a little bit of orchestration with the timing of Pravin Gordhan’s decision to walk into a police station and lodge crimen injuria charges against Malema and the EFF. However, the risk AfriForum might take in the case is that while they may from time to time have legal victories, they will continue to lose on the politics of it. It is entire possible for some in the ANC to point fingers loudly at AfriForum, to turn the election into a poll about identity. This might actually suit AfriForum, because it would create a situation that strengthens their base. Meanwhile, while Gordhan may well be on stronger ground legally, Malema may also believe that he has much to gain from a legal process. To make matters more complicated for the EFF leader, he himself said on Monday that he would be instituting criminal charges against Gordhan. Which may mean the case can return almost at any moment. That is extremely difficult in a country with so many fringe players as in South Africa today. DM Support DAILY MAVERICK & get FREE UBER vouchers every month An increasingly rare commodity, quality independent journalism costs money, though not nearly as much as its absence can cost global community.

Good Thursday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. Read the story and six takeaways on what the rewrite would do. But there may be one thing: the need to repair the criminal justice system. • Thousands of ballots have been rejected in Florida because voters’ signatures don’t match what’s on file, and Democrats are calling it disenfranchisement. • Marc Elias, an election lawyer representing Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, the Democratic incumbent, has been criticized from both the left and the right. Now he’s entwined in the Florida recount. Still, the Justice Department is defending his appointment. The victory leaves New Jersey with just one Republican in Congress. Here’s more on the trade fallout.

CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger moderates a discussion on "The President, the Presidency and the Law" with former Special Counsel to President Trump, Ty Cobb and former White House Counsel to President Clinton, Jack Quinn. CITIZEN by CNN is…

Lawyer for Kavanaugh accuser reportedly requests extra day to decide whether or not client will testify; Tammy Bruce and Alan Dershowitz react on 'Hannity.' FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as…

Tucker: Newly-released text messages from former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page show that executive branch employees worked to hurt the president they work for, purely for political reasons. This is a betrayal of constitutional order and of democracy.…

On 'Hannity,' host of 'Life, Liberty & Levin' sounds off about Mueller's never-ending witch hunt and previews Bruce Ohr's testimony. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and…

The defense rested its case in the trial against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, without calling any witnesses.

If I wanted to become a dictator in the United States, I would mostly work within the law until I have consolidated power I would use this media network to spread my propaganda that characterized my supporters as patriotic and my political opponents as unpatriotic or inhuman I would identify vulnerable minority groups and convince my supporters that these groups pose a mortal threat to their way of life and existence I would use my media network to malign all sources of news and opinion outside of my media network so my supporters solely rely on sources I approve of for information I would use the Us vs. Them mentality I have created with my media network to inflame the outrage of my supporters I would channel the outrage of my supporters into voting movements to improve my party’s election results I would use my party’s election gains to pass legislation and appoint judges and bureaucrats who will lawfully suppress votes against my party I would use my propaganda to convince my followers they may have to use force to overthrow the government I would run for president at an auspicious time I would time my campaign to coincide with deep disillusionment with the major political parties I would stoke my supporters’ mistrust of and disappointment in their party leaders and government institutions I would portray myself as a strong, bold and decisive leader to normalize rule by decree I would send subtle hints to the my hardcore supporters that violence and hatred directed at my political enemies will be tolerated I would try to identify everything my supporters wanted to hear, and then say it loudly and often, without regard to the ethics or legality of my proposed policies Upon election, I would work to dismantle the checks and balances embedded in the the Constitution that constrain the powers of the presidency I would work to make sure elected members of my party know their offices depend upon my patronage I would use my bully pulpit and propaganda network to completely destroy the faith of the American people in the justice department to investigate crimes I would use my pardon powers to signal to my now sometimes violent supporters that not only will I condone the use of violence, but they will suffer no criminal consequences for doing so I would rapidly go to work stacking the courts with judges who are unlikely to hold me accountable for a crime while in office I would align myself with powerful industrialists and bribe them with tax cuts in exchange for their firm support I would encourage large corporations to homogenize the media to expand the reach of my propaganda I would work to curb or completely eliminate net neutrality to limit the ability of my political opponents to counter my propaganda I would begin to make overt overtures towards authoritarianism to normalize fascism in the United States I would use my new friendships with hostile nations to influence or change voting results I would manufacture real or artificial existential crises to shore up support for my government and justify seizing more powers and shirking more checks and balances I would begin to threaten my political enemies with extrajudicial imprisonment and torture When I have finally consolidated power, I would call for a Constitutional convention in which I author an amendment to the Constitution that allows me to serve as president for life

Progressives rip liberal Yale professor Akhil Reed Amar for defending Kavanaugh, even though Amar had previously taught Judge Kavanaugh at Yale Law School. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well…