Elections

Corey Lewandowski tests positive for COVID-19

One of President Donald Trump’s senior campaign advisors, Corey Lewandowski, has tested positive for COVID-19, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

Published

1 year ago

November 12, 2020

Staff Writer

One of President Donald Trump’s senior campaign advisors, Corey Lewandowski, has tested positive for COVID-19, The New York Times reported on Thursday. Lewandowski is now the latest person in Trump’s circle to recently test positive for the virus after Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson both tested positive earlier.

A White House correspondent for The Times, Maggie Haberman, tweeted the breaking news around noon on Thursday, saying: “NEW – Corey Lewandowski, Trump adviser who’s been working on efforts to bring lawsuits alleging illegal election activity in specific states, tested positive for COVID yesterday per a person briefed. Lewandowski had been in Philly for days and believes he contracted it there.”

Haberman then added that Lewandowski “was at the White House election night party, but tested positive eight days later.”

He was at the White House election night party, but tested positive eight days later.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 12, 2020

Lewandowski also confirmed the diagnosis with CNN, with its Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta tweeting about it.

“Corey Lewandowski has tested positive for covid, he confirms. He says he feels fine and will be staying home,” Acosta wrote.

h/t to @maggieNYT who had this first.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 12, 2020

As mentioned by Haberman, Lewandowski has been part of the Trump campaign’s effort to bring lawsuits to swing states where they allege election misconduct and voter fraud occurred. It is not certain yet what effect his diagnosis could have on these ongoing legal battles.

Back in early October, a massive wave of Trump administration officials and other figures in Washington, DC—including the president, First Lady Melania Trump, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, advisor Hope Hicks, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and many more—all contracted the virus. It is widely believed that these individuals contracted after they all attended the same event on September 26, the ceremony where Trump announced then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee.

This time around, as Haberman brought up, the event that people suspect this new batch of positive tests originated from was the Trump campaign’s Election Night party at the White House eight days ago.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Elections

New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2021

Staff Writer

New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.

“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.

“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Fox News reports:

Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”

The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.