Our panel sounds the alarm on election interference.
We opened today’s Mission Wednesday with a panel of election-law experts to size up the threat heading into November.
Mark Blumberg, a former DOJ Civil Rights Division prosecutor; Kathy Boockvar, who served as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State through the 2020 election; and Ankush Khardori, a former federal prosecutor who now writes the Open File newsletter, walked through how DOJ letters demanding voter rolls and warning of “criminal liability,” plus a thousand DOJ monitors headed to the polls, are less about stopping fraud than about intimidating the officials who run our elections.
Mark said the goal is to make officials “more malleable,” so they don’t push back when the administration challenges results after the fact.
We also dug into a real-world example of that intimidation campaign: the Fulton County ballot seizure. Ankush walked us through how the warrant used to justify seizing 2020 ballots was built on an affidavit containing conspiracy theories that state election officials had already debunked — theories the Justice Department left in, while leaving the debunking out.
As Ankush put it, “it takes either ignorant or unscrupulous investigators and prosecutors to do such a thing” — and a magistrate judge who, in hindsight, should have known better than to take the DOJ’s claims at face value.
Considering everything they are up against, Kathy summed up exactly why the DEFIANCE has election officials’ backs: “Election officials are the best human beings on the planet. Genuinely, they are working 24-7, 365 to make sure every one of us can vote.”
Then, onto our Weekly Mission Briefing.
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: PROTECTING THE PEOPLE WHO PROTECT OUR VOTE
The beating heart of DEFIANCE.org is our Weekly Mission Briefing. Every Wednesday at 5p ET, we take real action to counter Donald Trump’s abuses of power.
This week, our mission is protecting the poll workers and election officials this administration is trying to intimidate, starting with the organization already doing that work.
So here’s what we did about it this week…
FIRST, we welcomed back Stacey Young of Justice Connection (@justiceconnection), the organization DEFIANCE has been proud to support since its founding. Stacey’s team has built a pro bono network of more than 250 former DOJ alumni who represent federal employees facing retaliation, connecting whistleblowers to lawyers, congressional offices, and the media when they need to come forward.
SECOND, Stacey walked us through Justice Connection’s new public dashboard, which makes DOJ’s own data searchable — so claims like Kash Patel’s inflated arrest numbers can be checked and debunked in real time. And with Election Day approaching, Justice Connection is expanding pro bono support to poll workers who may find themselves targeted this November.
THIRD, a DEFIANCE member surprised Stacey with a $5,000 grant on behalf of the community to support Justice Connection’s work protecting poll workers — and Miles tripled it on the spot to $15,000.
YOU MADE THIS POSSIBLE.
YOUR MISSION, IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT
As a DEFIANCE.org Member, you’re already refusing to let democracy die on our watch. But if you want to do even more this week, here’s what you can do…
1️⃣ Boost the Anti-Weaponization Fund
We need to replenish our funds for our next mission, and we have new heroes who could use a note of support.
👉 Go to AWFund.org
2️⃣ Follow Justice Connection on Substack
The rule of law is under attack. Their network of former Justice Department officials explains what’s happening and why it matters.
👉 Follow them here
3️⃣ Sign up to be a poll worker
There simply aren’t enough poll workers. This is one of the simplest, most direct ways to protect this election.
👉 Sign up at PowerThePolls.org
👇 Badge below
🖥️ IF YOU MISSED IT
You can watch the full Weekly Mission Briefing at the top!
Make sure to watch until the end. We also went live to Chicago, where the Trump-Epstein Bookmobile — carrying 3.5 million printed Epstein files — is on the latest stop of its nationwide tour. Epstein survivor Sharlene Rochard, advocate Camilla, and our very own producer Mercedes gave us a bird’s-eye view of the powerful exhibit.
Check out trumpepsteinreadingroom.com to see where it’s headed next.
As always — stay loud, stay brave, and stay together.
Best,
The DEFIANCE.org Team
THIS WEEK ON THE ANT HILL
THURS, SEPT 24 — SHOW US YOUR ANT-ITUDE! — We wanna see your swag, your original artwork, your unique ways of shouting out your defiance to the world in creative ways. Send your pics to our editor here.
THE DEFIANCE BOOK CLUB — Our next selection is: 1984 by George Orwell. We’ll be discussing two chapters per week in our Members-only chatroom beginning TOMORROW, September 24 @ 2:30 pm ET. It’s never too late to join the party! Visit your library or favorite bookstore to pick up a copy.
GROW THE DEFIANCE
DEFIANCE Members are absolutely crushing it, spreading the word about our club for the courageous to their friends. There is strength in numbers, and that’s exactly what defiance requires. Here’s how you can help build our numbers—and get a shoutout on the Daily with Miles and Xander:
Use the buttons provided to share your personal referral link on X, Facebook, or email. Or, copy the link (circled in the example below) to share it via text or other social platforms.
