All articles tagged with #secretaries of state
Declassified documents undercut Trump’s election lies, and election officials gathered in South Dakota to compare notes as they brace for the midterms, stressing that U.S. elections are decentralized and that their job is to reassure voters ballots are counted, even as misinformation and political pressure intensify the looming fall elections.
Democratic election officials are quietly building contingency plans for potential federal involvement in state elections during the 2026 midterms, spurred by post-2020 election tensions and the administration’s push for access to voter data, including the FBI’s seizure of ballots in Fulton County. They discuss measures to protect voters at polling places, bolster cyber defenses, and manage possible interactions with federal agents—scenarios they describe as worst-case but necessary planning, not predictions. The backdrop includes DOJ actions, ongoing debates over federal role in elections, and a notable reduction in federal cybersecurity support for election infrastructure.
Secretaries of state for Pennsylvania and New Mexico have been interviewed by federal prosecutors as part of the special counsel's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The probe is focused on actions taken by former President Donald Trump and his allies in seven battleground states. The interviews with Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt and New Mexico's top election official, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, indicate the investigation's focus on misinformation and voter fraud allegations. Subpoenas have been sent to officials in the targeted states, including Michigan and Georgia. The investigation also includes examining pressure campaigns, appointing fake electors, and desperate proposals discussed during a chaotic Oval Office meeting in the final days of Trump's presidency.
Former Secretaries of State and friends, Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, both lived to be 100 years old. Shultz passed away in 2021, but Kissinger celebrates his centennial on Saturday. Kissinger and Shultz were historically significant figures, and their long lives are a remarkable detail of history.