FOCUS: Bob Bauer | Roger Stone's 'Time in the Barrel': Campaign Dirty Tricks, Political Sabotage and the Law

30 November 18 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News IF RSN HAS EARNED YOUR SUPPORT, WE NEED IT NOW: We don't make the case for public support with a fund-raising appeal or during a donation drive, we make the case for public support in what we do day in and day out. If you believe in what we do, we need your support at this time. This project is growing, keep that growth alive. Thank you all sincerely. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! FOCUS: Bob Bauer | Roger Stone's 'Time in the Barrel': Campaign Dirty Tricks, Political Sabotage and the Law  Bob Bauer, Lawfare  EXCERPT:  He [Segretti] was indicted for violating a provision of the 1971 federal campaign finance law that required that campaign literature distributed “in connection with a candidate’s campaign” but without the candidate’s authorization carry a notice to that effect, making clear that the named candidate was “not responsible” for its content. The violation of this transparency requirement was enough to support a prosecution, but Congress later concluded that it needed to enact a more detailed prohibition of acts of political “sabotage.” The counterfeiting of campaign literature for which Segretti went to jail was just a means to the larger end of disrupting an opposing campaign. The 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act included a ban on "fraudulent misrepresentation of campaign authority." The statute prohibits agents of a campaign from falsely misrepresenting themselves as acting on behalf of another, “on a matter which is damaging to such other candidate or political party or employee or agent thereof.” The nub of the new offense was the use of underhanded means to undermine the opposition. This was the purpose of the Nixon campaign’s sabotage operations: “[T]o throw the Democratic party into confusion,” to “sow confusion and discontent among Mr. Nixon’s opponents.” Bauer writes: "News reports increasingly suggest that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is circling around Roger Stone and his associates in the Russia matter and that the legality of his 'dirty tricks' is very much in question." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter Update My Monthly Donation