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22 Jul, 7 tweets, 2 min read
NEW: Records we obtained show that top Department of Justice officials circulated materials related to invoking the Insurrection Act during nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd.
americanoversight.org/document/doj-r…
In the days following George Floyd’s murder by a police officer on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, protests against police brutality spread nationwide. These records provide further insight into the Trump administration DOJ’s response.
We obtained an email sent on May 31, 2020, in advance of DOJ meetings. The attached documents included background materials on the Insurrection Act, a law that allows the president to deploy federal troops within the U.S. in response to particular circumstances.
The attachment was titled “Insurrection Act Minnesota AG Recommendation OLC 11 pm draft,” implying that the Office of Legal Council weighed in on invoking the Insurrection Act.

The email also included documents about federal resources and various situational reports.
We also obtained emails from May 30 between Will Levi, chief of staff to former Attorney General Barr, and U.S. attorneys’ offices: "The AG wants the [U.S. attorney] and DOJ community activated to assist state and local law enforcement…”
“...with the response to the civil unrest occurring across the country in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. In that vein, two things are asked of each of you [U.S. attorneys]:”

The rest of the email is redacted.
We obtained these records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests we filed to investigate the Trump administration’s response to racial justice protests in 2020. Learn more about our ongoing investigation here:
americanoversight.org/investigation/…

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More from @weareoversight

American Oversight Profile picture
22 Jul
NEW: Officials involved in the sham “audit” in Arizona said recently that they expected to announce results in the next few weeks.

We already know enough about the operation’s biased origins to call into question any purported “findings.” THREAD
americanoversight.org/how-the-arizon…
First, the background of the “audit.” Besides the complete lack of any evidence of widespread voter fraud in Arizona or elsewhere, an early signal of the audit’s untrustworthiness and bias was the hiring of the cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas to oversee the operation. 2/
Cyber Ninjas has no experience conducting election audits. Its CEO Doug Logan is a vocal supporter of the “Stop the Steal” movement who repeatedly circulated lies that the 2020 election had been rigged. 3/
Read 16 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
19 Jul
NEW: We obtained emails that show officials from the Election Assistance Commission — the federal agency tasked with helping states administer secure elections — communicated with anti-voting rights groups in the months surrounding the election.
americanoversight.org/new-emails-sho…
The groups include the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and an “Election Law Working Group” convened by the Heritage Foundation.
In a September 2020 email, Michael Bowman, the president of ALEC Action asked EAC Commissioner Christy McCormick and the Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky for information about who at the Republican National Committee was working on election fraud.
documentcloud.org/documents/7001…
Read 8 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
16 Jul
The 2020 election was a high point for voter turnout, in part because states expanded access to the polls. Now, a growing number of states are pushing baseless investigations into the 2020 election results and considering legislation that would limit voter access. #FoiaFriday
Partisan election “investigations” are gaining traction...Arizona is currently conducting a biased “audit,” Wisconsin’s top Republican has hired three retired police officers to conduct a review, and a Pennsylvania legislator is now pushing a “forensic investigation.” 2/
By furthering lies about voter fraud, bogus ballot reviews provide a pretext for voting restrictions and other harmful measures. And proposals to restrict access to voting have exploded across the country. 3/
Read 15 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
15 Jul
The Arizona Senate held a hearing today to discuss the preliminary findings of its biased “audit” of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County. We’ve been skeptical of this process since it began. Here’s why.
The sham “audit” is not based on any evidence of widespread voter fraud, in Maricopa County or elsewhere. In fact, an independent audit in February confirmed that the ballots in the county had been tabulated accurately and that there were no irregularities.
We are also concerned because many people involved in the process support the “Big Lie” of widespread voter fraud and/or far-right conspiracy theories. This includes the head of Cyber Ninjas, the firm the Arizona Senate hired to conduct the audit.
Read 11 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
15 Jul
BREAKING: The court has denied the Arizona Senate’s motion to dismiss our lawsuit seeking “audit” records.

“It is difficult to conceive of a case with a more compelling public interest demanding public disclosure and public scrutiny," wrote the judge.
americanoversight.org/document/opini…
With the Arizona Senate moving ahead with its partisan audit — including a hearing scheduled for later today — it's essential for the public to get the full story about how this process has been conducted.
Our public records requests in Arizona have already revealed troubling conduct by officials leading the so-called "audit.” But critical records are still being withheld from the public.
Read 8 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
14 Jul
Wisconsin has joined a growing list of states where allies of former President Trump have launched bogus “investigations” as part of an effort to perpetuate the big lie that the election was stolen. Here’s what’s happening and how we’re investigating.
On May 26, 2021, more than six months after the 2020 presidential election, Robin Vos, Wisconsin’s top Republican lawmaker, announced that he would hire three retired police officers and an attorney to conduct a new investigation of the election results.
We jumped right to action and sent public records requests to Vos' office, as well the offices of state Reps. Joe Sanfelippo, the vice chair of the elections committee, and Janel Brandtjen, the current chair.
Read 11 tweets

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