With the elections only days away, the Trump administration is resorting to even more alarming efforts to interfere with the midterm elections.
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administration → resort → elections
In recent weeks, the president’s Justice Department has ramped up its targeting of Donald Trump’s political enemies, despite long-standing precedent to avoid taking actions that could influence elections.
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that → ramp → elections
This week saw former FBI Director James Comey charged for the third time in 13 months, while a grand jury declined to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her Jan. 6 testimony.
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jury → see → testimony
Meanwhile, FBI agents are worried about being ordered to seize voting machines, Trump has effectively called for the Alaska Senate election to be canceled and the prosecution of Democratic nominee Mary Peltola, and as Wired reported, ICE is carrying out one of the largest anti-left surveillance operations in the history of the United States.
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ICE → order → States
And as all of this is happening, a new rape allegation against the U.S. president barely made headlines.
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allegation → happen → headlines
From expanding a criminal investigation into California voters to threatening election officials with criminal prosecution, here’s just a taste of what Trump and his cronies did this week that harmed democracy, undermined the U.S. Constitution, and hurt societies worldwide:
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that → expand → societies
Saturday, Oct. 24 – White House Might Issue Blanket Pardons to Junior Staff
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House → issue → Staff
The Washington Sun reported that the White House is looking into issuing mass pardons for junior staff, a move that has been pushed by several conservative organizations including the Heritage Foundation.
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that → report → Foundation
While one source says it’s unlikely Trump would pardon all junior administration staffers, the president could issue pardons for employees in specific policy areas, like deportations or war.
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president → say → deportations
Trump ramped up his Islamophobic attacks against Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, calling him a “jihadist” and that he should “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.”
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he → ramp → Senate
He also said “any Jewish person that supports this guy should be ashamed of themselves.”
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supports → say → themselves
Later, El-Sayed clapped back at Trump’s racist comments, saying, “I’ll go through a metal detector if you’ll sit for a lie detector.”
Monday, Oct. 26 – Trump Administration Charges James Comey… Again
The Trump administration charged James Comey with two counts under the Espionage Act, marking the third time the former FBI director has been charged by the president’s Justice Department in just 13 months.
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director → clap → months
The charges accused Comey of mishandling national security information.
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charges → accuse → information
Comey was charged via criminal information rather than a grand jury, as Trump officials sought to get the charges in under the wire, before the statute of limitations ran out.
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statute → charge → limitations
In a video, Comey said he was innocent of the charges, and noted the new case against him “would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to.”
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we → say → that
The charges were unsealed the same day a federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally fired his daughter, prosecutor Maurene Comey.
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administration → unseal → daughter
Tuesday, Oct. 27 – Supreme Court Signs Off on Eliminating Immigration Rule
The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with the elimination of a Biden-era policy giving immigration judges the ability to suspend some deportation proceedings, including when someone is seeking humanitarian protections or other legal status.
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someone → sign → protections
The move was part of an unusual settlement agreement, between Trump’s Justice Department and the state of Texas, that opponents have described as “egregious collusion.”
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that → describe → collusion
Wednesday, Oct. 28 – FBI Agents Fear Having to Seize Voting Machines
MS
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Agents → fear → Machines
NOW reported that recent White House actions have raised concerns among some FBI agents who fear that they may be ordered to seize voting machines or undertake other measures that could interfere with the results of the midterm elections.
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that → report → elections
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Trump administration has issued more than 100 subpoenas in an effort to acquire voting records for tens of thousands of people across at least 13 states as part of its push to find noncitizen voters, which has already been proven to be exceedingly rare.
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which → report → voters
Thursday, Oct. 29 – Trump Administration Expands California Voter Investigation
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is expanding its criminal investigation into California, issuing grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in relation to the Justice Department’s unsubstantiated claim that thousands of noncitizens are on the state’s voter rolls.
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thousands → expand → rolls
Meanwhile, Trump’s Department of Justice sent letters to election officials in all 50 states warning that they could face criminal prosecution if they violate any federal election laws, despite a federal judge warning the Trump administration this week to stop threatening election workers.
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judge → send → workers
Friday, Oct. 30 – Trump Admin Plans One of the Largest Single Expulsions of Afghans
The Times reported that dozens of Afghan immigrants have been detained in Louisiana by the Trump administration, which plans to deport them to Pakistan, where they are expected to be removed to Afghanistan.
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they → plan → Afghanistan
More than 150 Afghans are expected to be deported, according to the Times, which would be one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans.
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which → expect → Afghans
Among those slated to be deported are several who could face discrimination or persecution by the Taliban, including relatives of people who assisted the U.S. military and at least one gay man.
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who → slat → military
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’?
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you → miss → Democracy
The Aporia
