Daniel I. Weiner
@DanWeiner329
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Director, Elections and Government Program, @BrennanCenter at NYU Law • Fmr. @FEC • Minnesotan/Marylander • Husband • Dad • Opinions mine • 🇺🇸🏳️🌈 ✡️
Washington, DC
Joined July 2013
Important victory.
A federal district court today dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit against renowned Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, holding that the First Amendment bars the claims against her related to her October 2024 general election poll. As the court explained, “there is no free pass around
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NYC’s odd-year elections are chronically plagued by low voter turnout. Now New Yorkers are voting on whether to change them to even years.
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¿Por qué debería importarnos que los funcionarios designados por el presidente en el Departamento de Justicia, entre ellos sus antiguos abogados personales, puedan decidir si recibe un pago directo de $230 millones a su favor? Porque ese dinero proviene directamente de todos
nytimes.com
Senior department officials who were defense lawyers for the president and those in his orbit are now in jobs that typically must approve any such payout, underscoring potential ethical conflicts.
Why should you care that the president’s appointees at DOJ, including his former personal attorneys, could decide whether he gets a $230M payout directly to him? Because that money is coming directly from all of us, the U.S. taxpayers.
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President Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao who pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2023. Binance is also reportedly a major supporter of the Trump family's World Liberty Financial.
wsj.com
The pardon follows months of efforts by Changpeng Zhao to boost the Trump family’s own crypto company.
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Fixing this problem is how you start rebuilding Americans’ faith in their government. It’s happened before and will need to be a priority again.
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But the bigger problem is that anticorruption rules for the federal government are in tatters. For one thing, the president is exempt from many of the most basic safeguards. The rules also have little to say about appointees he can fire at will getting involved in matters where
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As is often the case, the real question is: who decides? It definitely shouldn’t be people the president not only appointed but who were literally his personal lawyers handling some of the same matters giving rise to his claims. That’s the kind of basic conflict of interest all
brennancenter.org
All practicing lawyers within and outside the government are bound by ethical rules, standards, and commitments that protect against abuses of power.
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On its face, the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause bars payments to the president from the federal government. This would seem to be exactly the kind of scenario the Framers worried about when they included this provision—although the payout demand was first made in 2023
brennancenter.org
The framers wanted to insulate the president and federal officials from corrupting influences, but a new law is needed to ensure effective enforcement.
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Why should you care that the president’s appointees at DOJ, including his former personal attorneys, could decide whether he gets a $230M payout directly to him? Because that money is coming directly from all of us, the U.S. taxpayers.
nytimes.com
Senior department officials who were defense lawyers for the president and those in his orbit are now in jobs that typically must approve any such payout, underscoring potential ethical conflicts.
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Corruption isn’t new, but what we are seeing today is like nothing in recent memory. Listen as we discuss on Michael Waldman’s weekly podcast.
We are living in a new era of political corruption, marked by unprecedented self-dealing at the highest levels of the presidency. Watch Dan Weiner and Jane Mayer discuss how to end the kleptocracy on The Briefing with Michael Waldman: https://t.co/50mYpVjlQa
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Thank you to everyone who participated in the No Kings March today. The rally remained peaceful, with no arrests reported. We’re grateful to our community and event organizers for coming together to make sure voices were heard safely and respectfully. Great job ATX! ++++++++++++
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Our new series on money in politics will examine key fundraising trends, delve into underreported stories, and cover round up news in campaign finance and political corruption. Check out the first installment:
brennancenter.org
Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.
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Money in politics is a central issue for voters across the political spectrum, and we intend to for this to be a recurring series as we move towards the 2026 midterms and beyond.
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Curious about recent campaign finance trends and key stories? Check out our new money in politics roundup, featuring analyses of record-breaking off year fundraising, a deep dive on AI industry political spending + important legal and policy developments.
brennancenter.org
Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.
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Our new series on money in politics will examine key fundraising trends, delve into underreported stories, and cover round up news in campaign finance and political corruption. Check out the first installment:
brennancenter.org
Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.
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We are living through a new era of corruption, where legal guardrails have crumbled. What will end the culture of kleptocracy? Join us for a live virtual event with @JaneMayerNYer, @mawaldman, and @DanWeiner329 on Wed., Oct. 15, at 3pm ET. RSVP: https://t.co/LDsOuM28Ra
brennancenter.org
Experts lay out a plan to end the culture of kleptocracy.
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The Roberts Supreme Court's campaign finance rulings have “left us with the situation that allows virtually unlimited wheeling and dealing,” says the Brennan Center's @DanWeiner329
nytimes.com
This is not just a New York story.
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The Brennan Center is connecting the dots between the Trump administration’s unprecedented, and in some cases illegal, moves to undermine American elections. Join us for a live virtual event on protecting the integrity of the vote on Thurs., Sept. 18, at 3pm ET. RSVP:
brennancenter.org
Brennan Center experts analyze the White House’s effort to seize control of elections.
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The Trump administration’s pattern of rewarding wealthy donors with pardons and other lenient legal treatment raises urgent questions about political corruption.
brennancenter.org
The line between public service and private gain continues to blur as financial elites secure pardons and regulatory leniency following campaign contributions.
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Eight months into the second Trump administration, there are profound concerns for the rule of law in the U.S. Our new resource outlines the legal and ethical responsibilities of government lawyers that serve as vital checks on abuse of power.
brennancenter.org
All practicing lawyers within and outside the government are bound by ethical rules, standards, and commitments that protect against abuses of power.
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