Defend Our Country Weekly:
What to Know for the Weekend
The political landscape was as tumultuous as ever this week, including an expulsive vote in the U.S. House of Representatives that resulted in Rep. George Santos retaining his seat despite immense pressure from fellow Republicans and the looming federal fraud charges against him.
Shifting our focus to election integrity, we delve into the “inadvertent” removal of almost 3,400 eligible voters from Virginia’s voter rolls. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration claims this was a software error.
Over in Ohio, a similar issue unfolds as over 26,000 inactive voter registrations were purged. Lastly, we address a serious indictment in Georgia, where a man faces charges for allegedly threatening public officials involved in a criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
Here’s what you need to know for the weekend:
Main Points for the Weekend:
1. House Votes Against Expulsion of Rep. George Santos
The House of Representatives has voted not to expel Rep. George Santos. The vote occurred late on Wednesday. Santos, the New York Republican who admitted to lying about his background and qualifications, has also been indicted on federal fraud charges. The expulsion resolution was led by fellow New York Republicans. It cited Santos’ 23-count indictment and the many lies he told voters during his 2022 campaign as proof that he is “not fit to serve.”
Expulsion needed support from a supermajority, or at least two-thirds of the voting lawmakers, to pass. The resolution was introduced just one day after House Speaker Mike Johnson started his new job last week. Santos was defiant when he heard about the resolution: “OK, that’s fine. No, I don’t care if they’re whipping it, that’s fine. Due process is over.”
Santos was downright triumphant when the resolution failed. Ahead of the vote, leaders of the House Ethics Committee signaled on Tuesday that an announcement on the panel’s investigation into Santos could come in a matter of weeks. Santos has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges and faces trial in 2024.
- Top point to make: It is deeply troubling that Rep. George Santos remains in Congress despite his admission to lying about his background and indictment for federal fraud charges. This situation will have a negative impact on the public’s trust in elected officials and democratic institutions. All the same, the fact that the expulsion resolution came from his own party is encouraging. It is promising to see representatives put aside ideology to try to hold Santos accountable for his actions. We await the findings from the House Ethics Committee. A thorough and transparent investigation process is crucial.
- If you read one thing: NBC, 11/1/23: George Santos survives vote to expel him from Congress: “Rep. George Santos, the embattled New York Republican who admitted to lying about his background and has been indicted on federal fraud charges, easily survived a bipartisan effort to expel him from the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The expulsion resolution, which was led by his fellow New York Republicans and says Santos is ‘not fit to serve,’ needed support from a supermajority, or at least two-thirds of the voting lawmakers, to pass. The final tally did not even crest the simple majority threshold: 179 voted in favor of expulsion, 213 against and 19 voting present. Thirty one Democrats voted with 182 Republicans against expulsion, while 24 Republicans voted with 155 Democrats to remove Santos. A defiant Santos spoke with reporters after the House vote, saying that this was not a victory for him, but rather a victory for due process. He said a vote to expel him would have been ‘silencing my voters.’”
2. Virginia and Ohio Face Scrutiny Over Voter Roll Purges
In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin’s elections team has admitted that it removed nearly 3,400 qualified voters from the state’s rolls. This is far higher than the administration’s previous estimate of 270. Apparently, the state’s computer software erroneously counted probation violations as new felonies. Since felonies disqualify voters in Virginia, those voters were then removed. “The lack of transparency here is troubling,” said Aaron Mukerjee, the voter protection director for the Democratic Party of Virginia. Early voting for the Nov 7 General Assembly elections started five weeks ago.
Meanwhile in Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose purged over 26,000 inactive voter registrations last month. The move wasn’t announced at the time. It only attracted attention last week when Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney wrote LaRose a letter demanding answers about the process. At that point, this year’s November election was technically underway, and ballots had already been sent out. Voting rights advocates question whether this process is the best way to clean up voter rolls. Even with the notifications, they contend it still leaves room for registrations to be canceled in error, and without voters realizing it.
- Top point to make: Removing nearly 3,400 qualified voters in Virginia would appear to be a blatant act of voter disenfranchisement. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration should be transparent about how this error occurred. While we would applaud the efforts to reinstate voters who were erroneously removed, there is an urgent need to ensure that all affected voters are able to participate in the upcoming elections. In Ohio, the need for voter roll maintenance must be balanced by efforts to ensure eligible voters are not disenfranchised. Voting is essential to our system. There should be proactive measures in place to engage inactive voters and ensure they are aware of the need to update their registrations.
- If you read one thing: New York Times, 11/1/23: Virginia Erroneously Purged Nearly 3,400 From State’s Voter Rolls: “Virginia erroneously purged almost 3,400 voters from the state’s rolls, election officials said in the run-up to statewide elections on Tuesday. The administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, had previously said that about 270 voters had been mistakenly removed from the rolls because of an error in the state’s computer system. The state’s admission on Friday that the problem was an order of magnitude larger than previously disclosed drew outcry from voting rights groups and the state’s Democratic Party.
3. Alabama Man Indicted for Threatening Georgia Officials Involved in Trump’s Criminal Case
A federal grand jury indicted an Alabama man for allegedly threatening the sheriff and district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia over their involvement in former President Trump’s criminal case. The indictment charges Arthur Ray Hanson II with two counts of transmitting interstate threats. The indictment was unsealed Monday. “Threats against public servants are not only illegal, but also a threat against our democratic process,” said Keri Farley, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta office.
Prosecutors say Hanson left voicemails on Aug. 6 threatening the officials. The alleged calls came days before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted Trump and 18 others. It is one of four criminal indictments Trump faces.
- Top point to make: We should all expect our leaders—regardless of party or ideology—to condemn the actions of Arthur Ray Hanson II. Making threats against public officials is a grievous crime. It also directly undermines the democratic process. The indictment of Hanson as a positive step toward holding him accountable for his alleged threats. It is also important to note that these alleged threats came about because of misinformation and false narratives around the 2020 election. These lies have contributed to a hostile and dangerous environment for public servants.
- If you read one thing: New York Times, 10/30/23: Man Indicted Over Threats to D.A. and Sheriff in Trump’s Georgia Case: “A man who threatened a prosecutor and a sheriff involved in the Georgia investigation of former President Donald J. Trump for election interference was indicted in federal court on Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The man, Arthur Ray Hanson II, of Huntsville, Ala., had left threatening messages to Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., and Patrick Labat, the county’s sheriff, for their involvement in the Georgia case over the 2020 presidential election. According to the indictment by a federal grand jury in Atlanta, Mr. Hanson called the Fulton County government’s customer service line and left threatening voicemail messages for Ms. Willis and Sheriff Labat in early August, days before Mr. Trump and 18 of his associates were indicted in the state.”
Expert Voices
Marc Elias for Democracy Docket: “The newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (La.) is no ordinary Republican election denier. He was a ringleader in one of the most dangerous efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He used his position as a lawyer and member of Congress to legitimize the fringe legal theory underpinning the ‘Big Lie.’ Other than former President Donald Trump, he is arguably the most culpable federal elected official in what transpired on Jan. 6, 2021.”
Extremism scholar Mark Reiff on Trump’s threats, for Salon: “This rhetoric may seem like crazy bluster, which is no doubt why many people appear prepared to ignore it. But put in its historical context, what Trump is doing is echoing views that are part of a long tradition of illiberal and outright fascist thought. For fascists have always seen the use of violence as a virtue, not a vice.”
Norm Eisen and Amy Lee Copeland, for the New York Times: “Trials are about the evidence and the law. But they are also theater, and the jury is the audience. In this case, the jury is not the only audience — the Georgia trials will be televised, so many Americans will also be tuned in. Ms. Ellis is poised to be a potent weapon against Mr. Trump in the courtroom and on TVs. That is bad news for her former co-defendants — above all, Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Trump. Ms. Ellis was most closely associated with Mr. Giuliani, appearing by his side in Georgia and across the country. If her court appearance last week is any indication, she will be a compelling guide to his alleged misconduct. She will also add to what is known about it; she and Mr. Giuliani undoubtedly had many conversations that are not yet public and that will inform the jury. And because Mr. Giuliani was the senior lawyer on the case, her pointed statement that she was misled by attorneys ‘with many more years of experience’ hits him directly.”
Mike Podhorzer, in a piece on Substack: “Imagine movie critics who either did not know, or did not care to know, that movies have producers, script writers, directors, financiers, or casting directors, and so based their reviews on the premise that it was the actors alone who created the storyline, dialogue and mise en scene, and that the most successful actors were those who best understood the audience. That is essentially how all politics is covered in 21st century America.”
Jesse Wegman for the New York Times: “Fifty years after Watergate, the nation is once again confronted with a president who grossly abused the powers of his office, leading to criminal prosecutions. And once again, that abuse relied heavily on the involvement of lawyers. If Mr. Trump’s 2020 racket was ‘a coup in search of a legal theory,’ as one federal judge put it, these lawyers provided the theory, and the phony facts to back it up. In doing so, they severely tarnished their profession.”
