{"id":581,"date":"2018-03-09T13:28:40","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T18:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=581"},"modified":"2018-03-10T13:35:53","modified_gmt":"2018-03-10T18:35:53","slug":"voter-suppression-fanatic-kris-kobach-humiliated-by-gop-judge-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=581","title":{"rendered":"Voter suppression fanatic Kris Kobach humiliated by GOP judge in court"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Kansas<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
(Thad Allton\/Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
By\u00a0<\/span>Eric Boehlert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n


\nTrying to score political points by chasing voter fraud in court, Kris Kobach became a laughing stock this week instead.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who doubled as Trump\u2019s\u00a0voter suppression czar<\/a>\u00a0last year, has been making a fool of himself in a Kansas City courtroom all week.<\/p>\n

Kobach has been regularly humiliated by a Republican-appointed judge while he tries to prove his long-held conspiratorial claim that voter fraud is rampant in America and must be stomped out.<\/p>\n

In truth, research has time and again confirmed that voter fraud is statistically\u00a0non-existent<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. Those findings suggest Republicans like Kobach, who are obsessed with the crusade, are more interested in making sure\u00a0fewer<\/em>\u00a0people show up to vote on Election Day.<\/p>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/span>Specifically, Republicans have used fear-mongering about fraud to push restrictions on minority voters.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Kobach\u2019s in court for a\u00a0landmark voting rights case<\/a>\u00a0against the ACLU that could affect the future of how Americans register to vote. And Kobach, who is also currently running for governor, decided to argue the case himself rather than have the Kansas Attorney General\u2019s office handle the legal duties.<\/p>\n

The ego-driven decision has turned into\u00a0a fiasco<\/a>, with Kobach constantly being reprimanded by the GOP judge, who has had to basically explain to Kobach how trials work.<\/p>\n

At one point the judge\u00a0actually told<\/a>\u00a0Kobach from the bench, \u201cThat\u2019s not how trials are conducted\u201d \u2014 after he tried to introduce information into the trial without giving the other side a chance to review it.<\/p>\n

\u201cKobach and his legal team made a number of procedural missteps throughout the case and been reprimanded by U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson, a George W. Bush appointee, who is presiding over the trial,\u201d the Huffington Post\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0after Thursday\u2019s session. \u201cRobinson punctuated her rebuke of Kobach\u2019s legal team by saying she wanted her own comments to be preserved in the record for an appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bumbling from Kobach and his team has produced outbursts of\u00a0laughter<\/a>\u00a0inside the courtroom, according to a ThinkProgress.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the case, Kobach was\u00a0hit<\/a>\u00a0with a $1,000 fine for demonstrating\u00a0\u201cdeceptive conduct and lack of candor\u201d\u00a0in his interactions with the court.<\/p>\n

Kobach has been riding the voter fraud hobbyhorse for years. He was elevated to the national spotlight last year when Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appointed him to be his voter suppression czar and help oversee the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to root out the supposed evil.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Kobach also took a job\u00a0as a paid columnist<\/a>\u00a0for the white nationalist site Breitbart.<\/p>\n

Less than one year later, after Kobach\u2019s commission was buried in lawsuits from state attorneys general \u2014 from blue and red states \u2014 who objected to his demands for sensitive voter roll information, the\u00a0whole charade was shut down<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Undeterred, Kobach\u2019s in court trying to prove elusive voter fraud. Except this time he\u2019s being played for a fool.<\/p>\n

Eric Boehlert<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
Veteran progressive writer for Media Matters and Salon. Two books: “Lapdogs: How The Press Rolled Over for Bush,” and “Bloggers On The Bus.” Follow him on Twitter @ericboehlert.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Thad Allton\/Topeka Capital-Journal via AP) By\u00a0Eric Boehlert March 9, 2018 Trying to score political points by chasing voter fraud in court, Kris Kobach became a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","category-national-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-10_13-35-02.jpg?fit=725%2C464&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8VBh7-9n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":532,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=532","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":0},"title":"Kris Kobach says he can\u2019t comply with Kris Kobach\u2019s voter data request","author":"Donnie","date":"June 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0Christopher Ingraham\u00a0June 30, 2017\u00a0Email the author Donald Trump greeted\u00a0 Kansas Secretary of State, Kris Kobach at Trump's golf club in Bedminster Township, N.J., in November. (Photo by Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post) Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach co-chairs President Trump's voter fraud commission, which is tasked with finding evidence to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Politics"","block_context":{"text":"National Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-17-28.jpg?fit=922%2C604&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-17-28.jpg?fit=922%2C604&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-17-28.jpg?fit=922%2C604&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-17-28.jpg?fit=922%2C604&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":543,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=543","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":1},"title":"GOP Voter Suppression Is the Country\u2019s Greatest Scandal","author":"Donnie","date":"November 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"JIM CROW REDUX In state after state, the party enacts measures to solve a problem that does not exist but which targets African Americans, often with surgical precision. JAY MICHAELSON 11.08.17 5:00 AM ET \u00a0A year after the 2016 election, it\u2019s harder than ever for many people to vote, thanks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Politics"","block_context":{"text":"National Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_16-19-33.jpg?fit=583%2C446&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_16-19-33.jpg?fit=583%2C446&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_16-19-33.jpg?fit=583%2C446&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":535,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=535","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":2},"title":"Kris Kobach\u2019s Office Put Thousands of State Employees\u2019 Partial Social Security Numbers Online","author":"Donnie","date":"January 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a bad look for the man who wants data on every voter in the country. PEMA LEVYJAN. 25, 2018 The office of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, which\u00a0controls sensitive information on millions of American voters through the Interstate Crosscheck Program, posted online the partial Social Security numbers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-24-14.jpg?fit=657%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-24-14.jpg?fit=657%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-08_15-24-14.jpg?fit=657%2C416&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":967,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=967","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":3},"title":"Federal judge: Texas is violating national voter registration law","author":"Donnie","date":"April 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A federal judge has ruled that Texas violated the federal National Voter Registration Act. The fix he orders could introduce the state's first online voter registration system. BY\u00a0ALEXA URA\u00a0AND\u00a0EMMA PLATOFF\u00a0APRIL 3, 2018\u00a0UPDATED: APRIL 4, 2018 \u00a0Waylon Cunningham for the Texas Tribune \u00a0 Handing the state another voting rights loss, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-25-27.jpg?fit=634%2C420&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-25-27.jpg?fit=634%2C420&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-25-27.jpg?fit=634%2C420&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":970,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=970","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":4},"title":"Saying the state is violating a voter registration law, federal judge gives Texas until Thursday to propose a fix","author":"Donnie","date":"May 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Civil rights advocates hope that the ruling by\u00a0U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia could force Texas to adopt a version of online voter registration. BY\u00a0EMMA PLATOFF\u00a0MAY 11, 2018 Voters line up at an early voting station in Houston on Oct. 24, 2016. Poll workers said the lines were much longer than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Politics"","block_context":{"text":"National Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-28-48.jpg?fit=795%2C501&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-28-48.jpg?fit=795%2C501&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-28-48.jpg?fit=795%2C501&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-12_11-28-48.jpg?fit=795%2C501&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1368,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=1368","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":5},"title":"Editorial: A Texas judge\u2019s assault on abortion access was wrong. So was the GOP\u2019s silence.","author":"Donnie","date":"August 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By The Editorial Board Chicago Tribune, Published April 13, 2023 U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas is a household name now. He\u2019s the judge who ignored scientific evidence in favor of partisan politics and invalidated the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s 23-year-old approval of mifepristone, the pill that has become\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-12-at-4.59.07-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-12-at-4.59.07-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-12-at-4.59.07-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-12-at-4.59.07-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=581"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":583,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions\/583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}