DNC Launches Broad Legal Attack On RNC Over Trump's 'Voter Fraud' Crusade

[highplainsdem]

Source: TPM

In a dramatic escalation of a long legal battle between the national Democratic and Republican parties – and in what is arguably a fitting culmination to the year of Donald Trump – the Democratic National Committee is asking a federal court to hold the Republican National Committee in contempt of court for allegedly violating a decades-old consent decree limiting so-called "ballot security" activities at poll places.

The Democrats' filing Wednesday, among other things, ask that the consent decree -- which is set to expire Dec. 17 -- be extended for another eight years. The DNC is also asking the court to block any coordination between Trump and the RNC as it relates to Election Day poll monitoring activities that many fear will amount to voter intimidation.

The legal move by the DNC comes in response to Donald Trump's calls for vigilante "poll watchers" to come out in force nationwide on Election Day. The RNC had hoped to be freed from the consent decree as soon as next year, and Trump's actions now threaten to hobble the GOP for nearly another decade, if Democrats have their way.

As Trump has amped up his rhetoric claiming a "rigged elections" and urged his supporters "go over and watch" voting sites in "certain areas, the RNC has tried desperately to distance itself from the campaign's poll monitors efforts, given the consent decree. But Trump campaign hasn't made that easy. Wednesday's filing cites comments made by Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN), Trump's running mate, at a town hall event and by Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, to the Washington Post suggesting collaboration with the RNC on anti-voter fraud activities.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/dnc-ask-court-to-knock-rnc-for-trump-s-voter-fraud-crusade

[George II]

1. The article has a typo, the Consent Decree actually expires December 2017, not Dec. 17.*

Good job by the Democrats. I've been saying for a few weeks that Trump and his campaign are going to screw the republicans and get that CD extended. But what's another eight years? It's already been in effect for 34 years (since 1982)

*it correctly states December 2017 toward the bottom of the article.

[Mc Mike]

2. This Consent Decree extension request is big news, thanks, hpd. nt.

[msanthrope]

3. Video, video....nt

[Sienna86]

4. Rachel Maddow may be the person to thank

Her show focused on this the other night.

[moonscape]

6. My guess is that the DNC was already on it :) n/t

[AmericanActivist]

5. Kicking for voters nm

[cstanleytech]

7. Good, its clear that they were going to do it now during the next election but it should

be indefinitely implemented until the RNC can prove to the courts satisfaction that it will no longer try these tactics to intimidate voters.

[Blue Idaho]

8. Go get 'em!

Make them pay for their fascist bullshit.