Thread by @highbrow_nobrow

1. The Minneapolis police union is seeking retired officers to be “eyes and ears” at polling sites in “problem” areas on Election Day, after an attorney for the Trump campaign asked for assistance.
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2. William Willingham, a senior legal adviser and director of Election Day operations for the Trump campaign, asked for help from Minneapolis Police Federation President Lt. Bob Kroll on Wednesday.
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3. “Willingham asked the union president about recruiting 20 to 30 former officers to serve as ‘poll challengers’ to work either a four- or eight-hour shift in a ‘problem area.’” (StarTribune)
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4. Willingham’s email read: “Poll Challengers do not ‘stop’ people, per se, but act as our eyes and ears in the field and call our hotline to document fraud.”
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5. The email continued: “We don’t necessarily want our Poll Challengers to look intimidating, they cannot carry a weapon in the polls due to state law. … We just want people who won’t be afraid in rough neighborhoods or intimidating situations.”
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6. Minnesota AG Keith Ellison said earlier this week: “Minnesotans can also expect that they will be able to vote without intimidation or interference. Minnesota and federal law are clear: it is strictly illegal to intimidate or interfere with voters.”
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7. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon responded: “Targeting anyone for a challenge based on being in a so-called ‘problem area’ is unlawful and will not be permitted in Minnesota’s polling places.”
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8. Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison called the email’s language “incredibly inappropriate” and said the intention appeared to be to discourage voters in certain neighborhoods.
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9. Councilman Ellison said: “There’s the clear dog whistle of ‘rough area,’ and we need people who aren’t ‘easily intimidated,’ and people who aren’t scared.”
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10. The Trump campaign previously said it sought an army of 50,000 volunteer observers to monitor voting in battleground states, though it remains unclear precisely how many have signed up to help.
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