#ElectionManipulation isn’t theoretical. President Trump has openly tried to manipulate elections & has embraced well-known authoritarian tactics to do so. Congress can and should take action to prevent him from manipulating #Election2020. Here's how: protectdemocracy.org/update/white-p…
President Trump has cast doubt on the legitimacy of election results, claiming without evidence that illegal voting cost him the popular vote in 2016. He then used his power as president to establish a govt commission to investigate his unsupported claims. washingtonpost.com/news/politics/…
He has threatened to “jail” political opponents and suggested it would be appropriate for him to direct the DOJ to start investigations of 2020 presidential candidates. politico.com/story/2019/05/…
He has encouraged violence toward protesters, telling supporters at rallies to “knock the crap out of them...I promise you I will pay for the legal fees” & telling security personnel “Try not to hurt him. If you do, I'll defend you in court.” abcnews.go.com/Politics/back-…
And he has all but invited foreign interference in the election, habitually spread misinformation to the electorate, and stoked fears of “invasion” by migrants before the 2018 midterms to tip the electoral playing field.
Today 19 retired 4-star officers & service secretaries urged #SCOTUS to reject Trump’s immunity claim, citing the disastrous impact presidential criminal immunity would wreak on the chain of command, civilian control of the military, & national security. protdem.org/NatSecAmicus4_…
The Constitution enshrines rule of law & civilian control of the military, “bedrock features of our democracy & are deeply rooted in our nation’s history,” and…[Trump’s] theory of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution is an assault on these foundational commitments.”
Retired General George Casey, one of the signatories had this to say:
Here are the six major threats that we can expect from an authoritarian president occupying the White House in 2025
(plus, threaded below for more ⬇️🧵)
1⃣ Pardons to license lawbreaking: As president Trump was a pioneer in pardon abuse and has promised to further abuse that power to reward violent actors and place himself above the law
Trump, the likely R nominee for POTUS, has promised to enact policies threatening core democratic institutions.
In a new report, our experts analyze whether & how those promises might override the checks designed to constrain POTUS abuses of power. authoritarianplaybook2025.org
The report, written by a cross-ideological team of experts, thoroughly compiles Trump’s stated plans and tackles the question: Is our system of checks & balances robust enough to constrain an autocrat in the White House?
It focuses on 6 threat areas 🧵⬇️
1⃣ Pardons to license lawbreaking:
During Trump’s 1st term, he used pardons to induce witnesses against him into silence. In a 2nd term, he's indicated to further abuse pardons to incite political violence, incentivize lawbreaking for his benefit, & place himself above the law.
BREAKING: The city of San Marcos and its police dept have agreed to settle our case alleging they turned a blind eye to the so-called “Trump Train” engaging in political violence against passengers on the Biden-Harris bus in lead-up to the 2020 election. protectdemocracy.org/work/san-marco…
In settling this case, the City on behalf of the police department has admitted to falling short of its policing standards and has agreed to institute mandatory training for all its officers and to compensate the victims they failed to protect.
🔗 ➡️ protdem.org/4054mJN
In filing this case, the victims claimed police violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871—a law that makes it illegal for law enforcement to negligently fail to take steps to prevent certain conspiracies to engage in election-related violence or intimidation. protectdemocracy.org/work/klan-act-…
“From what began as one woman’s fight, the excuses for silence have been lifted, and this illegal barrier between truth and the American people is forever removed. Democracy dies in fear and silence, but only if we let it. We refused, and we won.”
This decision is a significant win for our democracy by establishing a bright line for all future candidates who might attempt to silence staff and prevent critical information from reaching voters.
NEW: “For a Better Democracy: Proportional Representation” from @DemJournal assembles insights from over a dozen leading scholars, examining how a more proportional electoral system could address some of the most enduring issues undermining our democracy. democracyjournal.org/magazine/70/fo…
Our winner-take-all electoral system is “dangerously warping our politics,” write our own @g_tudor & @btremitiere. Proportional representation is “one way out.” democracyjournal.org/magazine/70/wh…
@g_tudor @btremitiere “The constitutional uncertainty that surrounds § 2 presents an opportunity to fundamentally rethink... American electoral structures of representation for a 21st century multiracial polity,” write @ProfGuyCharles of @Harvard_Law & @Prof_lfr of @IUMaurerLaw democracyjournal.org/magazine/70/wh…