Latest news with #DouglassMackey
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Pro-Trump 'Troll' Gets Biden-Era Conviction Tossed on Appeal
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening… - One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service - Brazil hits back at Trump's 50% tariff as he decries 'witch hunt' on Bolsonaro for alleged coup attempt - Federal judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship ban for all infants, testing lower court powers An appeals court has reversed the conviction of a pro-Trump influencer charged with spreading false information on social media to suppress Democratic voter turnout during the 2016 election, voiding conspiracy charges and a monthslong federal prison sentence handed down by a jury in Brooklyn, New York. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on Wednesday unanimously voided the conviction of Douglass Mackey on federal conspiracy charges and remanded the case back to the U.S. Court in the Eastern District of New York to enter a new judgment of acquittal. The unanimous three-judge panel said in their ruling that "no rational jury" could have found that Mackey, 36, "knowingly" joined others in an illegal conspiracy aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2016 election or depriving people of their right to vote… READ MORE. SHADOW GOVERNMENT: Dossier used by top Obama officials to probe, brief Trump despite knowing it was unverified 'internet rumor' 'LISTEN TO ME': One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service BROKEN PROMISES: 10 reasons the DOJ and FBI face backlash over Epstein files flop UNLIKELY BOND: New book reveals what Obama and 'conqueror' Trump chatted about in viral moment during Carter's funeral FEDERAL FAILURE: Secret Service suspended 6 agents tasked with protecting Trump during July 2024 assassination attempt SPACE SHUFFLE/BLAST OFF: Trump taps Sean Duffy to serve as interim NASA chief PATRIOT'S PURSE: Trump installs massive new American flags at the White House - and they don't cost taxpayers a penny PAYBACK: Brazil hits back at Trump's 50% tariff as he decries 'witch hunt' on Bolsonaro for alleged coup attempt 'NO CHOICE': Trump cautioned Putin he would 'bomb the s---' out of Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine, new book claims DEFENSE UPGRADE: Taiwan conducts live-fire drills with US-made tanks as president looks on DIPLOMAT OUT: Ukrainian US ambassador, seen with head in hands during Oval Office meeting, is departing DC FATAL AMBUSH: Top Ukrainian spy gunned down in Kyiv ambush attack: report CLASS ACTION ACT: Federal judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship ban for all infants, testing lower court powers 'BLACK MARKET' OP: DOJ charges seven Chinese nationals in multi-million dollar marijuana trafficking ring PLAY FOR PAY: Sweeping bipartisan bill would nationalize standards for student athlete pay BEIJING BLOCK: Hawley moves to block China's buy-up of US farmland as Trump admin sounds alarm VOTE-A-RAMA DRAMA: 'Gut check time': Dissent among Senate GOP ranks threatens to reduce Trump's spending cut demand ICE, ICE MAYBE: Federal judge to hear from ICE on its plans for Abrego Garcia pending release from custody MEDICAL BILL: Comer dismisses Biden doctor's bid for pause in cover-up probe: 'Throwing out every excuse' POWER PLAY: Mamdani lands endorsement of a top Cuomo backer in NYC mayoral primary EXPOSING IDENTITIES: Massachusetts bill would force ICE agents to unmask Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Pro-Trump 'troll' who spread Hillary text-to-vote memes in 2016 has conviction tossed by appeals court
An appeals court has reversed the conviction of a pro-Trump influencer charged with spreading false information on social media to suppress Democratic voter turnout during the 2016 election, voiding conspiracy charges and a monthslong federal prison sentence handed down by a jury in Brooklyn, New York. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on Wednesday unanimously voided the conviction of Douglass Mackey on federal conspiracy charges and remanded the case back to the U.S. Court in the Eastern District of New York to enter a new judgment of acquittal. The unanimous three-judge panel said in their ruling that "no rational jury" could have found that Mackey, 36, "knowingly" joined others in an illegal conspiracy aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2016 election or depriving people of their right to vote. "The jury's verdict and the resulting judgment of conviction must be set aside," Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston wrote. The verdict is a win for Mackey, a self-styled right-wing influencer and self-described "troll," who amassed roughly 58,000 followers on Twitter in the run-up to the 2016 election. Mackey, who used the handle "Ricky Vaughn," used his account to post false information designed to support then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, including memes designed to look like Hillary Clinton ads that told voters they could submit their ballots via text message. Mackey was convicted in 2023 on conspiracy charges and sentenced to seven months in federal prison. The three-judge panel ruled Wednesday that Mackey's posts, including the false memes he posted, were not sufficient evidence to prove that he had violated U.S. conspiracy laws, "even assuming that he did so with the intent to injure other citizens in the exercise of their right to vote," they said. "The government was obligated to show that Mackey knowingly entered into an agreement with other people to pursue that objective," Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston and Judges Reena Raggi and Beth Robinson wrote. "This the government failed to do." The decision was praised by Mackey, who immediately posted on social media about the verdict. "HALLELUJAH!" Mackey said on X after the appellate court ruling on Wednesday. Mackey proceeded to thank God, his family, wife, lawyers and others who supported him during the trial in subsequent posts. He then threatened to pursue legal action over his conviction. "Now we sue," he said.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Activist's conviction for Hillary Clinton memes tossed by appeals courts
A social media influencer who was sentenced to seven months behind bars two years ago for posting anti-Hillary Clinton memes federal prosecutors deemed election interference for misleading voters had his conviction overturned. Douglass Mackey, 36, posted satirical memes of a fake ad in 2016 falsely indicating voters could stay home and simply text 'Hillary' to a phone number instead of showing up at the polls. But a three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concluded that prosecutors failed to prove Mackey was knowingly partaking in a broader conspiracy to hoodwink voters. Advertisement 'The case has been remanded to the district court with orders to immediately dismiss. Hallelujah!' Mackey later cheered on X. 4 Many of the memes bore Clinton campaign logos and fine print at the bottom to look authentic. @DougMackeyCase/X Advertisement 4 Douglass Mackey praised the appeals court's decision. @DougMackeyCase/X Mackey had initially been sentenced in October 2023, but was out on bail amid an appeal. His 2016 meme, which was posted shortly before the election, told voters to 'Avoid the line' and 'Vote from home' by texting a phone number. At the time, Mackey made the post via an alias, 'Ricky Vaughn.' Notably, his account at the time featured a man wearing a MAGA hat and a Bane mask. Prosecutors claimed some 4,900 unique phone numbers texted the number in the meme. Advertisement Twitter, as it was then called, eventually shut down his account, and he had garnered a spot on MIT's top 150 influencers of that election cycle. Mackey posted multiple memes that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn cited in the case, accusing him of attempting to suppress votes. Some of the memes included bogus claims that they had been paid for by the Clinton campaign. Some of the memes deployed the 'Vote from home' line but targeted specific blocs of voters, such as Latinos and African-Americans. 4 Federal prosecutors had been cheered by some Democrats for their 'groundbreaking prosecution.' Getty Images Advertisement The 36-year-old was accused of conspiring with other social media users in various chat rooms to chart ways to push President Trump's message, prosecutors said. However, the panel on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit was unconvinced. 'The mere fact that Mackey posted the memes, even assuming that he did so with the intent to injure other citizens in the exercise of their right to vote, is not enough, standing alone, to prove a violation of Section 241,' Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston wrote in the majority opinion, referring to the statute defining conspiracy against rights. 'The government was obligated to show that Mackey knowingly entered into an agreement with other people to pursue that objective,' the panel added. 'This, the government failed to do.' Judges on the panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously decided to overturn the charges and sent the case back to the district court with instructions to acquit Mackey. 4 The 2016 election marked the beginning of the more than decade-long Trump era of American politics. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'Its primary evidence of agreement, apart from the memes themselves, consisted of exchanges among the participants in several private Twitter message groups—exchanges the government argued showed the intent of the participants to interfere with others' exercise of their right to vote,' the judges noted. 'Yet the government failed to offer sufficient evidence that Mackey even viewed—let alone participated in—any of these exchanges,' they added, noting 'the government's remaining circumstantial evidence cannot alone establish Mackey's knowing agreement.'
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Court Overturns Conviction for Memes That Sought to Trick Clinton Voters
A federal appeals court on Wednesday overturned the election interference conviction of a far-right activist who had posted fake ads that told voters to use text messages to vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. The activist, Douglass Mackey, was convicted of conspiracy against rights in March 2023, after federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said that he and other social media users had spread memes on Twitter that falsely claimed that Mrs. Clinton's supporters could vote by texting 'Hillary' to a given phone number in the days before the election. On Wednesday, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit determined that prosecutors had not proved that Mr. Mackey knowingly agreed to join a conspiracy to fool voters. Mr. Mackey, a Vermont native who graduated from Middlebury College, was sentenced to seven months in prison in October 2023. He had been released on bail as he awaited the outcome of his appeal, and he celebrated the news Wednesday afternoon. 'HALLELUJAH,' Mr. Mackey, 36, posted to his 56,000 followers on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Andrew Frisch, a lawyer for Mr. Mackey, said in a statement on Wednesday that 'we are overjoyed that the Second Circuit has vindicated Mr. Mackey and validated the arguments in his defense that we made at trial.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US court voids conviction of influencer who tried to help Trump in 2016
NEW YORK, July 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of a social media influencer who used Twitter posts that resembled Hillary Clinton ads to spread false information about the 2016 presidential election and help Donald Trump win. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said no rational jury could have found that Douglass Mackey knowingly agreed to join a conspiracy to deprive people of their constitutional right to vote. It overturned Mackey's March 2023 conviction in Brooklyn and seven-month prison sentence, opens new tab, and ordered an acquittal. A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella in Brooklyn declined to comment. Lawyers for Mackey did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Two lawyers who worked on his appeal joined the U.S. Department of Justice this year. Mackey, a self-described "troll," was accused of trying to convince Clinton supporters they could vote for the former Democratic secretary of state by text message, which is false. He had tweeted two memes, one showing a Black woman and another written in Spanish, and retweeted a third post depicting Clinton. All carried the message it was OK to vote from home. Mackey is also known as Ricky Vaughn, Charlie Sheen's character in the first two "Major League" movies. In the appeals court's 3-0 decision, Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston said the mere fact Mackey posted the memes did not mean he conspired with anyone even if he intended to help Trump, a Republican, by suppressing votes for Clinton. The government's case centered on discussions in private, right-wing Twitter groups such as the "War Room." But the appeals court found a lack of evidence that Mackey even saw the discussions. It also said there was no evidence his tweets tricked anyone into voting improperly. "The government put forward evidence that Mackey agreed with War Room members to achieve the broad--and generally lawful--objective of distributing content in support of Trump or in opposition to Clinton," Livingston wrote. "That does not mean the government proved he knowingly reached an agreement with other War Room members" to suppress Clinton votes, she added. Wednesday's decision was joined by Circuit Judges Reena Raggi and Beth Robinson. Republican President George W. Bush appointed Livingston and Raggi to the bench, while Democratic President Joe Biden appointed Robinson. The case is U.S. v. Mackey, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 23-7577.
