At this time, Free Speech For Folks issued letters to U.S. Legal professional Basic Merrick Garland and Georgia Legal professional Basic Christopher Carr, urging each places of work to research the “Election Crime Bureau,” a non-governmental, extremist group based by election-denier and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. The personal group just lately posed as a regulation enforcement company conducting a felony investigation and sought to acquire delicate details about personnel and voting techniques from county election officers throughout Georgia.
Round early September, the “Election Crime Bureau” emailed county election officers in Georgia regarding a state-wide “investigation” it was endeavor into voting techniques. Officers who obtained the e-mail and complied with the sham “investigation” had been required to offer their residence handle, private cellphone numbers, and details about safety techniques.
The Election Crime Bureau is funded by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a prolific denier of the 2020 election outcomes. The group plans to advance comparable, extensively debunked ways to undermine the 2024 election, regardless of ongoing litigation in opposition to those that tried to tamper with voting machines primarily based on lies a few “stolen election.” Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was just lately sentenced to 9 years in jail for permitting an affiliate of Lindell’s to unlawfully entry voting machines in Colorado.
The Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has since warned county officers concerning the “Election Crime Bureau.” And the Middle for Web Safety, a nonprofit that develops safety techniques that the Election Crime Bureau misled officers to imagine it was “investigating,” accused the group of impersonation and directed recipients to not reply.
It’s illegal to intimidate, harass, and threaten election employees and officers. It is also illegal to carry oneself out as a authorities company or worker. The fraudulent marketing campaign launched by the Election Crime Bureau lured from elections officers confidential info to which it was not entitled, and which the group can use now or sooner or later to “dox” and intimidate officers, and to undermine Georgia’s elections. Because the 2020 election, election officers have been more and more subjected to intimidation, threats, and harassment primarily based on election fraud claims, like these promoted by Lindell and his group.
The “Election Crime Bureau” just isn’t a federal company, has no affiliation with the federal government, and has no proper to details about Georgia election personnel and techniques,” stated Free Speech For Folks Counsel Amira Mattar. “It can not masquerade as a crime-fighting group and intimidate Georgia election officers in order that it could actually set the stage to undermine the 2024 election. That’s not solely unlawful on a number of fronts; it gravely undermines our democracy.
To learn our letter to the Division of Justice, click on right here.
To learn our letter to Georgia Legal professional Basic Carr, click on right here.
To study extra about our work to problem voter intimidation and voter suppression, try our election safety web page.
