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riversedge

(69,537 posts)
Thu Aug 6, 2020, 07:00 PM Aug 2020

Billionaires Are Funding Trump's Voter Suppression Lawsuits





By Donald Shaw,


Published August 4, 2020


With millions of people out of work and struggling to keep up with their bills because of the coronavirus shutdown, the federal government has passed new tax breaks for the rich and created trillions for bailing out large corporations. The 2020 election could give voters a chance to remove the politicians who enacted these policies, but if the Trump administration and Republican Party get their way, many voters will be forced to put their health at risk by voting in-person in November, almost certainly before a vaccine or a reliable treatment for the coronavirus is available.

For the past several months, national Republican have been at war in the courts over state policies — advanced mainly by Democrats, but also by Republicans in some states — designed to make it easier for people to safely vote. In more than a dozen states, including battlegrounds like Wisconsin and Michigan, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has initiated or joined lawsuits to block states from expanding vote-by-mail systems or to oppose Democratic lawsuits in states that have resisted putting universal vote-by-mail systems in place. The lawsuits are financed by a $20 million litigation budget that the Republicans have amassed for fighting Democrats on voting issues.

Trump and Republicans have repeatedly said that mail ballots are more susceptible to electoral fraud, though nonpartisan groups like Brennan Center for Justice say there is “no evidence” that voting by mail results in significant levels of fraud. Trump has said that he believes high levels of voting hurts Republicans.


“My biggest risk is that we don’t win lawsuits,” Trump told Politico in June. “We have many lawsuits going all over. And if we don’t win those lawsuits, I think — I think it puts the election at risk.”













https://truthout.org/articles/billionaires-are-funding-trumps-voter-suppression-lawsuits/
Billionaire Donors to RNC Legal Fund

Billionaire donors, according to Forbes, and their spouses who have donated to the Republican National Committee's legal proceedings account since Jan. 1, 2019.

Donors Company Position Amount


Ricketts, John and Marlene TD Ameritrade Founder $321,000
Fertitta, Frank and Jill Stations Casinos CEO $213,000
Fertitta, Lorenzo and Teresa Fertitta Capital Chairman $213,000
Warren, Kelcy and Amy Energy Transfer Partners CEO $213,000
Schwarzman, Stephen Blackstone Chairman and CEO $213,000
Perlmutter, Issac and Laura Marvel Entertainment Chairman $213,000
Hendricks, Diane ABC Supply Co-founder and Chair $213,000
Marcus, Bernard and Wilma Home Depot Co-founder $213,000
Davis, James New Balance Chairman $213,000
Catsimatidis, John and Andrea Gristedes Foods, United Refining Company Owner and CEO $193,900
Paulson, John Paulson & Co. President $106,500
Ruffin, Phillip Treasure Island Hotel and Casino Owner $106,500
McMahon, Linda WWE Spouce Vince is CEO $106,500
Deason, Darwin Affiliated Computer Services (Xerox) Founder $106,500
Beal, Andrew Beal Bank Founder $106,500
Schwab, Charles Charles Schwab Corporation Founder $106,500
Dolan, James Madison Square Garden Company CEO $106,500
Rahr, Stewart Kinray (Cardinal Health) Former owner $102,400
Stephens, Warren (trust) Stephens Inc. CEO and Chairman $90,500
Liemandt, Joe Trilogy Software and ESW Capital Founder $52,400
Reyes, Jude (plus trust fund) Reyes Holdings Co-Chairman $43,000
Reyes, Christopher Reyes Holdings Co-Chairman $21,500
Fisher, Kenneth Fisher Investments Founder $2,400
Lefrak, Richard LeFrak Chairman and CEO $1,500
Table: Donald Shaw, SLUDGE Source: Federal Election Commission Get the data Created with Datawrapper

Stephen A. Schwarzman, CEO of the Blackstone Group laugs before a meeting with President Trump and others in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, April 11, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
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Billionaires Are Funding Trump's Voter Suppression Lawsuits (Original Post) riversedge Aug 2020 OP
how can someone be that greedy and evil? mucifer Aug 2020 #1
Fortunately, not much they can do about 34 states where any registered voter Hoyt Aug 2020 #2
 

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)
2. Fortunately, not much they can do about 34 states where any registered voter
Thu Aug 6, 2020, 07:08 PM
Aug 2020

can vote by mail. In 5 of those state, they have to vote by mail.

Some other states are considering allowing mail voting because of CV19. I bet some state judges will rule that the virus is an acceptable reason to vote “absentee.” I’m sure there are a few who’ll vote to limit mail voting, but we can work around those even if we have to but HAZMAT suits for at risk voters.

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