Dirty Tricks

Florida Candidate Caught Removing Rival’s Flyers

August 9, 2018 at 1:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The tussle between two Republicans vying for a chance to capture the House District 69 seat has taken an unpleasant turn,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“Raymond Blacklidge (R) filed a report with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office accusing his rival, Jeremy Bailie (R), of stealing his campaign fliers from the doors of dozens of St. Pete Beach homes. And, Blacklidge said, his rival then replaced them with Bailie’s own campaign materials.”

Blacklidge’s wife posted a video to Facebook showing Bailie removing the flyers.

Harris Has Faced Social Media Dirty Tricks

August 3, 2018 at 8:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) tells the AP that “every month for the last 18 months, her office has discovered on average between three and five fake Facebook profiles pretending to be hers.”

“It’s unclear who creates the pages, which are often designed to mislead American voters about the ambitious Democratic senator’s policies and positions.”

Sting Targets Senator for Dirt on Russia Sanctions

July 30, 2018 at 6:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), known for her outspoken criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “was hit with a bizarre impersonation attempt by someone hoping to get inside information on American sanctions targeting Russia,” according to emails and an audio recording obtained by the Daily Beast.

Shaheen “was contacted through her staff last November by an individual who said he worked for the foreign ministry of Latvia, a tiny Baltic nation supportive of efforts to reign in Russian aggression. The man said he was trying to set up a phone call between the senator and Edgars Rinkevičs, the Latvian foreign minister.”

“But before the call could take place, Shaheen’s office contacted the Latvian embassy to confirm Vaiders’ bona fides. The embassy responded that outreach attempt was fake.”

Menendez Set Up Fake News Website

July 13, 2018 at 11:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) set up a fake health news website to attack his opponent in his re-election bid, STAT reports.

“It has headlines and bylines, an original story 834 words long, and links to 10 articles from other outlets concerning health policy and drug pricing in New Jersey. But readers expecting journalism from the upstart HealthNewsNJ.com may be in for a surprise: It’s fake news.”

Robocall Seeks Damaging Information on Roy Moore

November 14, 2017 at 5:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

At least one person in WKRG-TV‘s viewing area received a robocall seeking more damaging information about Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore (R).

Here is the text of that voicemail message:

Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein, I’m a reporter for the Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5000 and $7000 dollars. We will not be fully investigating these claims however we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com, thank you.

The Washington Post issued a statement: “The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post. The call’s description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism.”

Top Brady Strategist May Be Indicted for Payoff

October 24, 2017 at 1:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Bob Brady’s (D-PA) “longtime political strategist has become the latest target in a widening federal probe of a $90,000 payment the congressman made to a primary challenger in 2012 to convince the man to drop out of the race,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Ken Smukler, whom prosecutors have accused of helping to secretly funnel some of that money to the rival campaign, is expected to be indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday.”

Said Brady: “He didn’t do nothing wrong. I don’t know what this is all about.”

Russian Hackers Now Using ‘Tainted Leaks’

May 25, 2017 at 10:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wired: “Over the past year, the Kremlin’s strategy of weaponizing leaks to meddle with democracies around the world has become increasingly clear, first in the US and more recently in France. But a new report by a group of security researchers digs into another layer of those so-called influence operations: how Russian hackers alter documents within those releases of hacked material, planting disinformation alongside legitimate leaks.”

Roger Stone Under Scrutiny

March 21, 2017 at 7:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In President Trump’s oft-changing world order, Roger J. Stone Jr., the onetime political consultant and full-time provocateur, has been one of the few constants — a loyalist and self-proclaimed ‘dirty trickster’ who nurtured the dream of a presidential run by the developer-turned-television-star for 30 years,” the New York Times reports.

“But two months into the Trump presidency, Mr. Stone, known for his pinstripe suits, the Nixon tattoo spanning his shoulder blades, and decades of outlandish statements, is under investigation for what would be his dirtiest trick — colluding with the Russians to defeat Hillary Clinton and put his friend in the White House.”

Mysterious Intruder Recorded Lawmakers at GOP Retreat

January 31, 2017 at 5:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Reporters were kept out, and only a few select staffers, family members and outsiders were allowed to participate in the private GOP policy retreat. But at least one unauthorized person made it inside, and while it is unclear to what degree the country’s top leaders were in physical danger, their circle of trust was undoubtedly breached.”

“A person secretly recorded closed sessions on national security and health care that were attended by many dozens of GOP lawmakers. They had gathered for a private discussion of some of the thorniest legislative issues of the moment, as well as a question-and-answer session with Pence.”

Bolton Suggests Obama Administration Behind Hacks

December 12, 2016 at 7:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ambassador John Bolton claimed that hacks during the election season could have been “a false flag” operation — possibly committed by the Obama administration itself, Politico reports.

Said Bolton: “It is not at all clear to me just viewing this from the outside, that this hacking into the DNC and the RNC computers was not a false flag. So the question has to be asked, why did the Russians run their smart intelligence service against Hillary’s server, but their dumb intelligence service against the election?”

Quote of the Day

November 28, 2016 at 7:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you and wishing the best. For what it’s worth, I thought the move you pulled was kind of badass.”

— Jared Kushner, in a 2013 email to David Wildstein obtained by the Washington Post, amid growing evidence that Wildstein had ordered the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to payback Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) political enemies.

Pro-Trump Chatbots Flooded Social Media

November 18, 2016 at 7:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“An automated army of pro-Donald Trump chatbots overwhelmed similar programs supporting Hillary Clinton five to one in the days leading up to the presidential election, according to a report published Thursday by researchers at Oxford University,” the New York Times reports.

“The chatbots — basic software programs with a bit of artificial intelligence and rudimentary communication skills — would send messages on Twitter based on a topic… Their purpose: to rant, confuse people on facts, or simply muddy discussions.”

Poll Worker Injured by Booby-Trapped Trump Sign

November 3, 2016 at 12:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A poll worker in Texas was injured Tuesday when he tried to move a Donald Trump campaign sign and cut his hand on box-cutter blades that had been attached to it,” the Huffington Post reports.

“The tampered sign was discovered Tuesday morning blocking an official polling sign at Collin County College in Plano, according to NBC Dallas. A precinct official had ordered the sign to be moved.”

Kane Sentenced to Prison

October 24, 2016 at 4:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) “was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in jail for orchestrating an illegal news leak to damage a political enemy, capping a spectacular downfall for a woman who three years ago was seen as one of the state’s fastest-rising stars,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Her downfall began when she leaked confidential grand jury material two years ago to a newspaper in a bid to embarrass a political enemy, and then lied about her actions under oath. After a trial in August, a jury found her guilty of perjury, obstruction and other charges.”

DNC Computers Breached by Russian Hackers

June 14, 2016 at 12:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 83 Comments

The Democratic National Committee’s computer systems were breached by hackers linked to the Russian government, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Washington Post reports the party’s entire file of opposition research against Donald Trump had been taken.

How to Hack an Election

April 2, 2016 at 4:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

Andres Sepulveda tells Bloomberg he rigged major political campaigns over a period of eight years in Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Venezuela.

“With a budget of $600,000, the Peña Nieto job was by far his most complex. He led a team of hackers that stole campaign strategies, manipulated social media to create false waves of enthusiasm and derision, and installed spyware in opposition offices, all to help Peña Nieto, a right-of-center candidate, eke out a victory.”

Now serving 10 years in prison in Colombia, Sepulveda is telling his story in hopes of a reduced sentence.

On the question of whether the U.S. presidential campaign is being tampered with, he is unequivocal: “I’m 100 percent sure it is.”