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    Murdochs blessed Fox News plan to air 2020 election fraud claims, Smartmatic alleges

    In key hearing in defamation case, Fox counters that network simply covered allegations by Trump associatesRupert and Lachlan Murdoch authorized a plan for Fox News to embrace Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in 2020 in an attempt to win back viewers angry with the network, a lawyer for the voting technology company Smartmatic argued on Tuesday.“The conservative viewers, their bread and butter, abandoned them,” J Erik Connolly told the New York state supreme court judge David B Cohen. “So what do they do? They return back to what they know best: they return back to disinformation, pro-Trump propaganda and xenophobia. The election story and the election fraud claims was the perfect vehicle for them to get back on to their core messaging.” Continue reading… More

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    They tried to overturn the 2020 US election. Now, they hold power in Trump’s Washington

    Those who tried to overturn the 2020 election now occupy key federal roles, shaping rules and sowing doubt for 2026The people who tried to overturn the 2020 election have more power than ever – and they plan to use it.Bolstered by the president, they have prominent roles in key parts of the federal government. Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer who helped advance Donald Trump’s claims of a stolen election in 2020, now leads the civil rights division of the justice department. An election denier, Heather Honey, now serves as the deputy assistant secretary for election integrity in the Department of Homeland Security. Kurt Olsen, an attorney involved in the “stop the steal” movement, is now a special government employee investigating the 2020 election. Continue reading… More

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    Georgia prosecutor confirms final criminal case against Trump is ‘over’

    State prosecutor dismisses charges against US president and others in election interference caseThe case against Donald Trump and his co-defendants in Georgia ended on Wednesday with a filing for dismissal by the state prosecutor who took over after the removal of Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney.Pete Skandalakis, the prosecutor and the executive director of the prosecuting attorneys’ council of Georgia, confirmed to the Guardian that “it’s over”after superior court judge Scott McAfee issued a one-page order on Wednesday dismissing the 2020 racketeering case. Skandalakis said he would be making no further comments about the matter. Continue reading… More

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    Fox Corp chief told Sean Hannity that Trump could not go on air in 2020 if he attacked network

    Even before the 2020 election, tensions were high between Fox News executives and Trump, new documents showWhat happened at Fox News after the 2020 election? Documents reveal new detailsNew revelations about the tense relationship between Fox News and Donald Trump in the fall of 2020 have emerged in a trove of thousands of court documents released on Sunday as part of a massive defamation lawsuit filed against the network by voting technology company Smartmatic.One exchange showed that Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox News parent company Fox Corp, told star anchor Sean Hannity in a 1 October 2020 text chain that Trump could not appear on Fox again if he attacked the network. Continue reading… More

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    Trump hints support for fringe theory that Venezuela rigged 2020 election

    President’s comment implies hostility to Venezuela may be based on unfounded election-rigging conspiracy theoryDonald Trump on Sunday appeared to endorse the discredited conspiracy theory that Venezuela’s leadership controls electronic voting software worldwide and caused his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden.White House officials have previously said that Trump’s increasingly bellicose policy toward Venezuela is driven by concerns about migration and the drug trade. But the president’s new comment, made on Truth Social, hints that his hostility to Venezuela may also be based on an outlandish, implausible theory ruled to be false by a judge in 2023. Continue reading… More

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    Trump’s DoJ investigating unfounded claims Venezuela helped steal 2020 election

    Exclusive: Discredited election-rigging conspiracy theory could strengthen Trump’s military action against MaduroFederal investigators have been interviewing multiple people who are pushing unfounded claims that Venezuela helped steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump, the Guardian has learned.Two promoters of the conspiracy theory have repeatedly briefed the US attorney for the district of Puerto Rico, W Stephen Muldrow, and have shared witnesses and documents with officials, according to four sources. Muldrow declined to comment. Continue reading… More

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    Georgia prosecutor to take over last remaining criminal case against Trump

    Pete Skandalakis appointed himself to take over 2020 election interference case from district attorney Fani WillisThe only remaining criminal case against Donald Trump has been revived after the head of Georgia’s prosecutor’s council appointed himself to replace Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney, who was removed from the election interference case in September.Pete Skandalakis, a Republican and the executive director of the prosecuting attorneys’ council of Georgia, the state body that provides legal training and is often charged to mitigate prosecutorial conflicts, wrote in a statement on Friday that he would be taking over from Willis. Continue reading… More

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    Justice department allegedly investigating debunked 2020 Georgia election fraud claims

    Claim, by election deniers, would signal latest step by DoJ in moving away from protecting Americans’ voting rightsMembers of Georgia’s election denial movement have claimed in recent weeks that the justice department is investigating debunked fraud claims in the state stemming from the 2020 election.The development would be just the latest in a series of moves by Trump acolytes at the Department of Justice who are transforming the voting section of the agency from an office focused on protecting Americans’ voting rights to one that is in lockstep with an election denial movement that incessantly demands investigations and drastic reductions in access to the polls based on Donald Trump’s lies about elections. Continue reading… More