Latest news with #FederalElectionsCommission
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Some states seek to bar Jan. 6 rioters seeking office after pardons
May 28 (UPI) -- It has been four months since President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some of those pardoned have found opportunity in the political realm while states and local jurisdictions are considering whether to ban them from working in the government. In Florida, Jake Lang is running for the Senate seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lang was charged for assaulting officers, among other charges related to entering the Capitol and interfering with the certification of the election. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Lang's campaign has raised more than $28,000. Ryan Kelley, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, ran for the office after participating in the Capitol riot. In 2023, Kelley pleaded guilty after being charged for entering a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property in a restricted building and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States. Kelley has not ruled out another run for office. His campaign website is active and was updated on Jan. 22. It outlines his "Blueprint for Michigan" plan that proposes deregulation, energy plans and a program to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in government. Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, told UPI he is not surprised that people involved in the riot have been embraced politically or found their background to be potentially politically advantageous. "Some people have a very different vision of America and the country has a very complicated history," Neiheisel said. "The country has always had this kind of uneasy relationship with something like political violence because it is a nation that was born from a violent act, a revolution." Some state and local governments have taken steps to reckon with the aftermath of Jan. 6 and Trump's pardons. Days after the pardons were announced, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered that no one involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is to be hired by the state. Last month, the Chicago City Council followed suit, voting 44-3 on a resolution to reject applicants who were convicted of crimes related to the riot "regardless of clemency or pardon status." Three states have mulled similar measures. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced the Restrict Insurrectionists from Office Taking Act in the state senate to bar participants in the riot from serving in civil office. The legislation was introduced on the two-year anniversary of the riot. "Up to 47 New Yorkers were arrested and charged with their roles in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riots that left five people dead in the immediate aftermath, four subsequent deaths from suicide, and dozens of police officers injured," Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. "Our RIOT Act will bar anyone who's acted against the sanctity of our democracy from holding elected office and sends a strong message that violence is incompatible with government service. We must continue to safeguard our democracy from the extremists attempting to destroy it. " The bill passed the state senate nearly a year ago but has not been passed by the other chamber. Connecticut took up a similar bill during its 2023 session, barring those who were involved in the riot from being elected to office or from being employed by the state or any municipality. It has not been passed and no action has been taken since April 2023. A bill was filed in Virginia in 2023 but was never brought to a vote. It has been left in committee and is not expected to move forward. "It's still going to be a flashpoint," Neiheisel said of Jan. 6. "You're still going to have Democrats talking about how, 'Look, here's evidence that the Republican Party is anti-democratic.' You're still going to have Republicans saying that it was necessary. There are still Republicans who believe the 2020 election was stolen." "It's not always clear, of course, what that tipping point is where you have a legitimate claim to political violence versus you're just doing it for your own, narrow, personal end," he continued. "That's a legacy that's with us to this day and there are probably more people now than there have been in some time who want to embrace parts of that legacy." Pardoned rioters are being tapped to appear at political events tied to Republican organizations. Special appearances and speaking engagements emphasize the political capital that Jan. 6 has generated among the Republican Party. Jeffrey Scott Brown of Laguna Woods, Calif., was among the first convicted for attacking police officers. In 2022, he was convicted of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. In March, Brown was invited to speak at an event hosted by a local Republican club. James Grant of Cary, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months under supervised release after being convicted of civil disorder. He was also invited to speak at a Republican event in March. "The whole event [Jan. 6] was a strange happening in the sense that there were just so many different ideological persuasions there," Neiheisel said. "If you look at the flags, you look at the symbols, you've got people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together, thinking that is a good idea. They all kind of came together on this course of action from very different places. Some are QAnon conspiracists -- others were some kind of more religiously motivated. There was the presence of some charismatics. It's a hodgepodge of a lot of different things on the American right that came together at one point."
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Some states seek to bar Jan. 6 rioters seeking office after pardons
May 28 (UPI) -- It has been four months since President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some of those pardoned have found opportunity in the political realm while states and local jurisdictions are considering whether to ban them from working in the government. In Florida, Jake Lang is running for the Senate seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lang was charged for assaulting officers, among other charges related to entering the Capitol and interfering with the certification of the election. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Lang's campaign has raised more than $28,000. Ryan Kelley, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, ran for the office after participating in the Capitol riot. In 2023, Kelley pleaded guilty after being charged for entering a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property in a restricted building and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States. Kelley has not ruled out another run for office. His campaign website is active and was updated on Jan. 22. It outlines his "Blueprint for Michigan" plan that proposes deregulation, energy plans and a program to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in government. Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, told UPI he is not surprised that people involved in the riot have been embraced politically or found their background to be potentially politically advantageous. "Some people have a very different vision of America and the country has a very complicated history," Neiheisel said. "The country has always had this kind of uneasy relationship with something like political violence because it is a nation that was born from a violent act, a revolution." Some state and local governments have taken steps to reckon with the aftermath of Jan. 6 and Trump's pardons. Days after the pardons were announced, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered that no one involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is to be hired by the state. Last month, the Chicago City Council followed suit, voting 44-3 on a resolution to reject applicants who were convicted of crimes related to the riot "regardless of clemency or pardon status." Three states have mulled similar measures. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced the Restrict Insurrectionists from Office Taking Act in the state senate to bar participants in the riot from serving in civil office. The legislation was introduced on the two-year anniversary of the riot. "Up to 47 New Yorkers were arrested and charged with their roles in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riots that left five people dead in the immediate aftermath, four subsequent deaths from suicide, and dozens of police officers injured," Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. "Our RIOT Act will bar anyone who's acted against the sanctity of our democracy from holding elected office and sends a strong message that violence is incompatible with government service. We must continue to safeguard our democracy from the extremists attempting to destroy it. " The bill passed the state senate nearly a year ago but has not been passed by the other chamber. Connecticut took up a similar bill during its 2023 session, barring those who were involved in the riot from being elected to office or from being employed by the state or any municipality. It has not been passed and no action has been taken since April 2023. A bill was filed in Virginia in 2023 but was never brought to a vote. It has been left in committee and is not expected to move forward. "It's still going to be a flashpoint," Neiheisel said of Jan. 6. "You're still going to have Democrats talking about how, 'Look, here's evidence that the Republican Party is anti-democratic.' You're still going to have Republicans saying that it was necessary. There are still Republicans who believe the 2020 election was stolen." "It's not always clear, of course, what that tipping point is where you have a legitimate claim to political violence versus you're just doing it for your own, narrow, personal end," he continued. "That's a legacy that's with us to this day and there are probably more people now than there have been in some time who want to embrace parts of that legacy." Pardoned rioters are being tapped to appear at political events tied to Republican organizations. Special appearances and speaking engagements emphasize the political capital that Jan. 6 has generated among the Republican Party. Jeffrey Scott Brown of Laguna Woods, Calif., was among the first convicted for attacking police officers. In 2022, he was convicted of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. In March, Brown was invited to speak at an event hosted by a local Republican club. James Grant of Cary, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months under supervised release after being convicted of civil disorder. He was also invited to speak at a Republican event in March. "The whole event [Jan. 6] was a strange happening in the sense that there were just so many different ideological persuasions there," Neiheisel said. "If you look at the flags, you look at the symbols, you've got people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together, thinking that is a good idea. They all kind of came together on this course of action from very different places. Some are QAnon conspiracists -- others were some kind of more religiously motivated. There was the presence of some charismatics. It's a hodgepodge of a lot of different things on the American right that came together at one point." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
6 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Some states seek to bar Jan. 6 rioters seeking office after pardons
1 of 3 | It has been four months since President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some of those pardoned have found opportunity in the political realm while states and local jurisdictions are considering whether to ban them from working in the government. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo May 28 (UPI) -- It has been four months since President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some of those pardoned have found opportunity in the political realm while states and local jurisdictions are considering whether to ban them from working in the government. In Florida, Jake Lang is running for the Senate seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lang was charged for assaulting officers, among other charges related to entering the Capitol and interfering with the certification of the election. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Lang's campaign has raised more than $28,000. Ryan Kelley, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, ran for the office after participating in the Capitol riot. In 2023, Kelley pleaded guilty after being charged for entering a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property in a restricted building and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States. Kelley has not ruled out another run for office. His campaign website is active and was updated on Jan. 22. It outlines his "Blueprint for Michigan" plan that proposes deregulation, energy plans and a program to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in government. Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, told UPI he is not surprised that people involved in the riot have been embraced politically or found their background to be potentially politically advantageous. "Some people have a very different vision of America and the country has a very complicated history," Neiheisel said. "The country has always had this kind of uneasy relationship with something like political violence because it is a nation that was born from a violent act, a revolution." Some state and local governments have taken steps to reckon with the aftermath of Jan. 6 and Trump's pardons. Days after the pardons were announced, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered that no one involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is to be hired by the state. Last month, the Chicago City Council followed suit, voting 44-3 on a resolution to reject applicants who were convicted of crimes related to the riot "regardless of clemency or pardon status." Three states have mulled similar measures. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced the Restrict Insurrectionists from Office Taking Act in the state senate to bar participants in the riot from serving in civil office. The legislation was introduced on the two-year anniversary of the riot. "Up to 47 New Yorkers were arrested and charged with their roles in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riots that left five people dead in the immediate aftermath, four subsequent deaths from suicide, and dozens of police officers injured," Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. "Our RIOT Act will bar anyone who's acted against the sanctity of our democracy from holding elected office and sends a strong message that violence is incompatible with government service. We must continue to safeguard our democracy from the extremists attempting to destroy it. " The bill passed the state senate nearly a year ago but has not been passed by the other chamber. Connecticut took up a similar bill during its 2023 session, barring those who were involved in the riot from being elected to office or from being employed by the state or any municipality. It has not been passed and no action has been taken since April 2023. A bill was filed in Virginia in 2023 but was never brought to a vote. It has been left in committee and is not expected to move forward. "It's still going to be a flashpoint," Neiheisel said of Jan. 6. "You're still going to have Democrats talking about how, 'Look, here's evidence that the Republican Party is anti-democratic.' You're still going to have Republicans saying that it was necessary. There are still Republicans who believe the 2020 election was stolen." "It's not always clear, of course, what that tipping point is where you have a legitimate claim to political violence versus you're just doing it for your own, narrow, personal end," he continued. "That's a legacy that's with us to this day and there are probably more people now than there have been in some time who want to embrace parts of that legacy." Pardoned rioters are being tapped to appear at political events tied to Republican organizations. Special appearances and speaking engagements emphasize the political capital that Jan. 6 has generated among the Republican Party. Jeffrey Scott Brown of Laguna Woods, Calif., was among the first convicted for attacking police officers. In 2022, he was convicted of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. In March, Brown was invited to speak at an event hosted by a local Republican club. James Grant of Cary, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months under supervised release after being convicted of civil disorder. He was also invited to speak at a Republican event in March. "The whole event [Jan. 6] was a strange happening in the sense that there were just so many different ideological persuasions there," Neiheisel said. "If you look at the flags, you look at the symbols, you've got people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together, thinking that is a good idea. They all kind of came together on this course of action from very different places. Some are QAnon conspiracists -- others were some kind of more religiously motivated. There was the presence of some charismatics. It's a hodgepodge of a lot of different things on the American right that came together at one point."
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Cuomo is whispering to his super PAC
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral campaigns aren't allowed to strategize with super PACs that support their candidates, but Andrew Cuomo has found a way around that. With significantly less cash on hand than he'd hoped due to a paperwork error, the Democratic frontrunner is relying on a legal practice known as redboxing to communicate his preferred messaging to anyone squinting at the bottom of his website. And if the reader happens to work for a super PAC backing Cuomo, that messaging could find its way into the TV ads the group is airing on his behalf. He would love an ad highlighting his messaging against antisemitism, and one noting he's a progressive who stood up to President Donald Trump on abortion. Ads should target voters between 40 and 55 years old. And Cuomo doesn't just want videos, but also door-to-door canvassing. The campaign also provides 14 video clips of Cuomo talking — some as short as five seconds long — that could be used in ads. It's all featured surreptitiously in a page on Cuomo's campaign website, accessed by scrolling past a donation link button, an issue page and some of his biography and finding the words 'Message for Voters' in small font, next to the campaign's privacy policy. That's because the page is actually meant to be found, read and used by any operatives working for independent expenditure committees — the New York City version of super PACs — which can raise unlimited funds ungoverned by the strict donations limits placed on campaigns, according to political operatives and rival camps. Cuomo's team isn't denying it. The name of the practice is a nod to a bright red line campaigns often draw around the guidance on the website, though Cuomo's team opted not to follow that custom. And it's an increasingly common campaign tactic to circumvent campaign finance laws. 'The whole point of an independent expenditure is it is supposed to be independent,' said Susan Lerner, the executive director of election reform group Common Cause New York, in response to Cuomo's website. 'It's a message to the voters, if you are always on the line. And that tells you something about the people who are willing, always, to go to the end of the envelope and push.' The Federal Elections Commission has effectively endorsed the practice, releasing a statement in 2022 concluding that laws barring coordination aren't triggered by web pages available to the general public. Eric Adams' campaign provided similar guidance during his successful 2021 mayoral campaign — guidance super PACs used to strategize spending millions of dollars on his behalf, said an operative who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign strategy. Cuomo is not the only mayoral candidate this year hoping to guide a super PAC — in his case, a group called Fix the City has raised more than $6.2 million in less than two months, led by donors in the real estate and finance industries. It's run by Steve Cohen, a former top aide to Cuomo, and has already reported spending $1.9 million on ads highlighting his record. Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, has a 'message to New York City voters' on his website and a graphic-free video that could easily be remixed. Campaign consultant Bill Hyers launched an independent expenditure committee to support him this month, POLITICO first reported, but it hasn't raised or spent any money yet. Another super PAC, New Yorkers for Lower Costs, has reported raising $64,000 to support Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign. Mamdani doesn't have similar guidance on his website. The New York City Campaign Finance Board denied Cuomo as much as $2.5 million in public matching funds because the campaign failed to submit complete paperwork of donor information. He won't be eligible to get the payout until May 12. 'When you don't have matching funds, you need somebody to pay for all of the ads,' said Andrew Epstein, a spokesperson for Mamdani. The campaign updated its messaging guidance right after Mamdani launched his first TV ad last week, adding more direct instruction to what had been a bare-bones message. 'It's a broad message to voters,' Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said of the page. Fix the City spokesperson Liz Benjamin declined to comment on whether the super PAC has reviewed the page and was planning to use it, instead sharing a statement that the PAC is 'led by a diverse and experienced board and an independent staff.' Other opponents were hesitant to criticize Cuomo for the tactic, but took issue with the messaging. 'A decade in office and zero mention of bringing down housing costs — because Cuomo's got no record to stand on,' said Olivia Lapeyrolerie, spokesperson for state Sen. Zellnor Myrie. A spokesperson for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said she didn't appreciate that the page claimed Cuomo is 'the only major candidate who did not support the defund the police movement.' 'Even ChatGPT could have told the Cuomo campaign that Adrienne Adams opposed defunding the police,' Lupe Todd-Medina said in a statement, in a jab at Cuomo's team using the artificial intelligence program to research a portion of a policy paper. 'It's a shame they have to make things up rather than just make their case to New Yorkers.' But one political operative who works for super PACs said every candidate 'who has half a brain' knows that the tactic of redboxing helps. 'The best way to get messaging out to an IE is to make a website, put pictures, put videos, and we will find it,' said the operative, who was granted anonymity to speak freely.
Politico
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Andrew Cuomo is whispering to his super PAC
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral campaigns aren't allowed to strategize with super PACs that support their candidates, but Andrew Cuomo has found a way around that. With significantly less cash on hand than he'd hoped due to a paperwork error, the Democratic frontrunner is relying on a legal practice known as redboxing to communicate his preferred messaging to anyone squinting at the bottom of his website. And if the reader happens to work for a super PAC backing Cuomo, that messaging could find its way into the TV ads the group is airing on his behalf. He would love an ad highlighting his messaging against antisemitism, and one noting he's a progressive who stood up to President Donald Trump on abortion. Ads should target voters between 40 and 55 years old. And Cuomo doesn't just want videos, but also door-to-door canvassing. The campaign also provides 14 video clips of Cuomo talking — some as short as five seconds long — that could be used in ads. It's all featured surreptitiously in a page on Cuomo's campaign website, accessed by scrolling past a donation link button, an issue page and some of his biography and finding the words 'Message for Voters' in small font, next to the campaign's privacy policy. That's because the page is actually meant to be found, read and used by any operatives working for independent expenditure committees — the New York City version of super PACs — which can raise unlimited funds ungoverned by the strict donations limits placed on campaigns, according to political operatives and rival camps. Cuomo's team isn't denying it. The name of the practice is a nod to a bright red line campaigns often draw around the guidance on the website, though Cuomo's team opted not to follow that custom. And it's an increasingly common campaign tactic to circumvent campaign finance laws. 'The whole point of an independent expenditure is it is supposed to be independent,' said Susan Lerner, the executive director of election reform group Common Cause New York, in response to Cuomo's website. 'It's a message to the voters, if you are always on the line. And that tells you something about the people who are willing, always, to go to the end of the envelope and push.' The Federal Elections Commission has effectively endorsed the practice, releasing a statement in 2022 concluding that laws barring coordination aren't triggered by web pages available to the general public. Eric Adams' campaign provided similar guidance during his successful 2021 mayoral campaign — guidance super PACs used to strategize spending millions of dollars on his behalf, said an operative who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign strategy. Cuomo is not the only mayoral candidate this year hoping to guide a super PAC — in his case, a group called Fix the City has raised more than $6.2 million in less than two months, led by donors in the real estate and finance industries. It's run by Steve Cohen, a former top aide to Cuomo, and has already reported spending $1.9 million on ads highlighting his record. Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, has a ' message to New York City voters ' on his website and a graphic-free video that could easily be remixed. Campaign consultant Bill Hyers launched an independent expenditure committee to support him this month, POLITICO first reported , but it hasn't raised or spent any money yet. Another super PAC, New Yorkers for Lower Costs, has reported raising $64,000 to support Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign. Mamdani doesn't have similar guidance on his website. The New York City Campaign Finance Board denied Cuomo as much as $2.5 million in public matching funds because the campaign failed to submit complete paperwork of donor information. He won't be eligible to get the payout until May 12. 'When you don't have matching funds, you need somebody to pay for all of the ads,' said Andrew Epstein, a spokesperson for Mamdani. The campaign updated its messaging guidance right after Mamdani launched his first TV ad last week, adding more direct instruction to what had been a bare-bones message. 'It's a broad message to voters,' Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said of the page. Fix the City spokesperson Liz Benjamin declined to comment on whether the super PAC has reviewed the page and was planning to use it, instead sharing a statement that the PAC is 'led by a diverse and experienced board and an independent staff.' Other opponents were hesitant to criticize Cuomo for the tactic, but took issue with the messaging. 'A decade in office and zero mention of bringing down housing costs — because Cuomo's got no record to stand on,' said Olivia Lapeyrolerie, spokesperson for state Sen. Zellnor Myrie. A spokesperson for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said she didn't appreciate that the page claimed Cuomo is 'the only major candidate who did not support the defund the police movement.' 'Even ChatGPT could have told the Cuomo campaign that Adrienne Adams opposed defunding the police,' Lupe Todd-Medina said in a statement, in a jab at Cuomo's team using the artificial intelligence program to research a portion of a policy paper. 'It's a shame they have to make things up rather than just make their case to New Yorkers.' But one political operative who works for super PACs said every candidate 'who has half a brain' knows that the tactic of redboxing helps. 'The best way to get messaging out to an IE is to make a website, put pictures, put videos, and we will find it,' said the operative, who was granted anonymity to speak freely.
