Logan Mashburn writes for the Federalist about the latest dubious scheme from Democratic operative Marc Elias.
A prominent Democrat law firm, founded by an architect of the Trump-Russia hoax, is suing to let foreign billionaires meddle in Ohio elections.
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 1 on June 2, banning foreign nationals from spending money on state ballot measures. Elias Law Group, founded by Russia hoaxer Marc Elias, challenged the bill in court on June 27, according to The Associated Press.
Elias, while working for a law firm whose client was Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, paid Fusion GPS for the infamous Steele dossier that accused former President Donald Trump of ties to Russia. He then peddled the dossier to bureaucrats and legacy media.
Elias founded the Elias Law Group in 2021 to do the bidding of Democrat politicians, according to Influence Watch. The group, along with the law firm Cooper Elliott, sued in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, claiming that the state’s election integrity measure would harm public discourse.
“All noncitizens are now threatened with investigation, criminal prosecution, and mandatory fines if they even indicate they intend to engage in any election-related spending or contributions — including to support or oppose ballot questions in virtually any capacity,” the lawsuit reads, according to the AP.
The Ohio law prohibits foreign nationals including green card holders, foreign political parties, foreign governments, and foreign businesses from contributing funding for “ballot issues or candidates.”
So perhaps Elias’ real issue with Ohio’s ban on foreign campaign funding is that it keeps Democrats from doing what he falsely accused Trump of doing. The law simply bans foreign funders from interfering in Ohio elections to boost partisan turnout.
Caitlin Sutherland, director of Americans for Public Trust, pointed out the hypocrisy of Democrats who pretend to care about “foreign interference.”