In July 2020, then President Trump directed the Census Bureau to exclude undocumented residents from the count used for congressional reapportionment. We FOIA’d for communications between the Census Bureau & the White House from the week before the order. Here's what we found:
A political appointee named Nathaniel Cogley was placed in the Census Bureau shortly before the executive order that directed the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from apportionment counts. It appears that Cogley had a direct line with the White House chief of staff’s office.
For example, on the day Trump issued the executive order — July 21, 2020 — Cogley emailed a scheduler in the chief of staff’s office to set up a meeting for the next day. #FoiaFriday
Later that same day, John Fleming, who was then deputy chief of staff, emailed Cogley a news story about the Census Bureau extending its deadline for census responses until October 31. americanoversight.org/document/comme…
Cogley responded that it was “a good question as to who approved the Census Bureau making public announcements and redistricting timelines before Congress and the President actually passed a law to that effect."
Cogley’s appointment to a top Census Bureau position in June 2020 raised questions from researchers and members of Congress, as Cogley had no previous experience with the policy issues associated with the role. sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/m…
The close contact between Cogley and the White House appears to further reflect Trump’s politicization of the 2020 census.
On Oct. 28, 2020 — less than a week before the election — Ginni Thomas sent more than a dozen links to a Google Group called “20024.” “[Redacted] asked me for links we have all been sharing about the coming insurrection, chaos, and violence,” she wrote.
“It is not random. It appears very organized if you have the eyes to see and read and hear,” she continued. Thomas asked recipients to add more links and to organize the articles.
An individual (name redacted) created a Google document that organized the various links.
The “constitutional sheriffs” movement is a fringe theory that holds that sheriffs have more law enforcement power in their home counties than any other government body or individual. The movement has brought its work to the election denial space. theguardian.com/us-news/2024/a…
“Nothing is more dangerous to our democracy than a movement based on election lies promoted by radical law enforcement officials who falsely believe they are the ultimate authority, including on matters of election administration,” our Chioma Chukwu told the Guardian.
We’ve been investigating “constitutional sheriffs,” obtaining the schedule and list of participating fellows at the Claremont Institute’s Sheriffs Fellowship — a November 2022 gathering of some of the most controversial sheriffs in the country. americanoversight.org/investigation/…
It’s #SunshineWeek, a week that celebrates & promotes access to information and open government nationwide.
Today, we’re highlighting the power of #FOIA with a thread about its past, present, and future.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed FOIA into law on July 4, 1966. Records show LBJ personally removed strong language supporting open government from the press statement. He only agreed to sign it after DOJ suggested he include a signing statement. nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/…
In his signing statement, LBJ praised the importance of openness for democracy and said the legislation affirmed American principles. But he also wrote that he felt some documents shouldn’t be available to the public. nsarchive2.gwu.edu//nsa/foia/FOIA…
Yesterday, D.C. Circuit heard oral arguments on presidential immunity in Trump’s election interference case.
Judges questioned both sides about our amicus brief arguing the D.C. Circuit lacks jurisdiction to hear Trump’s appeal on his immunity claims. Here’s what that’s about:
In Trump’s federal election interference case, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that Trump is not entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump appealed the ruling, hoping to delay the trial set for March.
Late last month, we filed an amicus brief that argues that the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit lacks jurisdiction to hear Trump’s immunity appeal until after he is tried by a jury, convicted, and sentenced. americanoversight.org/american-overs…
As we approach the anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021, former President Trump faces criminal charges for attempting to subvert the election. An amicus brief we filed in this case could thwart his effort to delay his trial until after this year’s election. latimes.com/opinion/story/…
In the election interference case, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that Trump is not entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump appealed that ruling, hoping to delay the trial set for March.
Last week, we filed an amicus brief arguing that the D.C. Circuit lacks jurisdiction to hear Trump’s appeal on his immunity claims until after he is tried by a jury, convicted, and sentenced. americanoversight.org/american-overs…
For more than a year, we’ve been investigating how the election denial movement led several states to leave ERIC, a nonpartisan organization that helps maintain up-to-date voting lists.
The same people who tried to overturn the 2020 election worked behind the scenes to influence the ERIC exodus by promoting false claims and conspiracy theories — priming states for post-election chaos that could be used to deny election results in 2024. americanoversight.org/the-right-wing…
The records we obtained also show that states have scrambled to find viable replacements — none of which provide ERIC’s security, reliability, or effectiveness.