News

D21 Urges House Ethics Committee To Expeditiously Conduct Investigation Of Rep. George Santos

Democracy 21 today urged the House Ethics Committee to expeditiously and “on its own initiative” conduct an investigation of Representative George Santos (R-NY), who will be sworn in today. “An expeditious investigation of Rep. Santos will show beyond any reasonable doubt that because of his duplicitous campaign and his egregious, massive deception of the voters […]

D21 President Fred Wertheimer On House GOP Effort To Gut Office Of Congressional Ethics

Statement Of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Buried in the House Rules that House Republicans will propose and consider as an early order of business are provisions designed to gut the bipartisan Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The OCE was created in 2008 and has served the nation and the House well in protecting against ethics […]

January 6th Committee Report, Additional Background, & Resources

  “The insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 was not the start of former President Donald Trump’s attempt to steal the presidency from Joe Biden, it was the culmination of Trump’s Big Lie and the seditious scheme hatched by Trump and his associates to overturn the 2020 election results. The historic […]

The Trump Coup That Could Have Succeeded

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | December 22, 2022 On November 4, 2020 — one day after Election Day 2020 — Rick Perry, Trump’s Energy Secretary, contacted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows with a proposal. Perry proposed an “AGRESSIVE [sic] STRATEGY” to have Republican-controlled state legislatures in key battleground states override the voters and […]

Eisen, Perry, Wertheimer In The New York Times: The Jan. 6 Committee Just Made History. Here’s What That Means For Prosecutors.

Given the facts that were revealed by the House January 6th Committee through its 18-month investigation, “these hearings had to end with criminal referrals against Donald Trump and his minions,” Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.), E. Danya Perry, and Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer write in an essay published by The New York Times. “The House committee […]

NEW! Jan. 6th Hearing Scheduled For Monday, December 19. When/Where To Watch, Plus Background And Resources

  “This is deadly serious. This is American democracy. This story deserves more attention. It’s a primetime story, but it’s not a one-and-done special movie. This is real life. This is democracy under the microscope.” – Robert Costa, Investigative Reporter, CBS News NEXT HEARING: Monday, December 19, at 1 p.m. Eastern The House January 6th Committee, at […]

Congress Is Very Close To Finally Closing A Dangerous Election Law Loophole

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | December 15, 2022 The Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) is essential legislation that would close a dangerous loophole in the 19th-century Electoral Count Act. The loophole would permit a state legislature to replace the presidential electors chosen by the state’s voters on Election Day with the choice of the legislature. […]

LISTEN: Fred Wertheimer On Moore v. Harper, And The Supreme Court’s Radical Conservative Direction

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case Moore v. Harper on December 7. Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer joins Background Briefing With Ian Masters to discuss the case, the “independent state legislature theory,” and the overall radical conservative direction the Court has been taking. (15 minutes)

The Next Two Years Will Be A Political & Legal Roller Coaster

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | December 8, 2022 The House Jan. 6th Committee is scheduled to release its final report on December 21. The report is expected to include criminal referrals to the Justice Department, including a referral for former President Donald Trump. The Committee did a superb job in educating the American people and […]

Moore v. Harper Explainer: The “Independent State Legislature Theory” Will Not Empower State Legislatures To Override Presidential Election Results

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case Moore v. Harper on Wednesday, December 7. In Moore v. Harper, a gerrymandered North Carolina congressional map that was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court is being defended by North Carolina legislators who claim the state court’s decision violates the so-called “independent state legislature theory.” There is a […]