CBS Lines Up Dems to Smear Florida Election Fraud Investigators as Racist ‘Goon Squad’

This Monday CBS Mornings adopted the left-wing premise that a new election fraud investigative unit in the State of Florida was a threat to democracy and proceeded to line up Democrats to denounce the specialized law enforcement team as a racist “goon squad.” The segment ultimately concluded that Republican Governor Ron DeSantis – unlike his Democratic opponents – was entirely motivated by “politics.”

“And in Florida, the GOP wants to create a special police force for election fraud, which is raising alarms among voting rights activists,”Tony Dokoupil, co-host of the show, warned before introducing it. Correspondent Ed O’Keefe fretted: “Cecile Scoon runs Florida’s nonpartisan League of Women Voters and is concerned a proposal to establish a new police unit to investigate elections fraud is designed to keep minorities from voting.”

Soundbites ran of Scoon – an unidentified Democratic Party donor – fearmongering: “Well, why should you make voting harder?…Bringing law enforcement and having them be around looking for problems, there is a concern and there is a fear, and there’s that chilling factor that they’re gonna target black people.”

Ignoring that Scoon had zero evidence to back up that wild accusation, O’Keefe continued:

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis introduced this idea in …. The current proposal has 25 investigators or officers from multiple departments. DeSantis, along with Florida Republicans, are pushing for more I.D. requirement for absentee votes.

Later in the segment, O’Keefe touted: “Democrats in the state legislature are strongly opposed.”The clip of Tina Scott Polsky, Democratic State Senator, wailing was then shown: “I think we should be afraid of a political election police goon squad.”

“The new proposals come just nine months after DeSantis signed another law with voting restrictions, like limiting the use of ballot drop boxes that’s now being challenged in federal court,” O’Keefe whined. O’Keefe then complained to Mark Earley (Leon County Elections Supervisor), another Democratic Party donor. “It was really an unneeded law.”

O’Keefe sympathized: “Earley is worried all the changes will confuse voters and scare off employees and volunteers he needs to run elections.” Earley lamented: “I think it’s become so controversial and adversarial it takes some of that special feeling that you’re really part of a trusted cadre of folks working to make democracy work.”

Earlier in the report, O’Keefe was at least shown briefly discussing the issue with Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, who explained: “We’re very confident that we hit a great intersection between making voting accessible and keeping voting secure….These resources would allow us to do even more to support our partnerships with those groups and be prepared for any challenges to come.”

Wrapping up the segment, Dokoupil asked this loaded question: “So, Ed, as you point out, there are vanishingly few cases of actual election fraud and zero evidence of any kind of systematic fraud….So what’s behind this new effort in Florida, and by all these Republicans in different states?” O’Keefe promptly dismissed the measures: “Politics. It’s about appealing to the Trump base.”

Funny how the Democrats O’Keefe featured – including those not properly identified as such – were not depicted as having any ulterior political motivation at all.

This effort to smear election security measures as some nefarious racist plot was brought to viewers by Tylenol and Gain (Procter & Gamble). It is possible to protest the sponsors of this content by writing them.

The complete transcript for the segment on February 7, 2009 is available here:

7:40 AM ET

TONY DOKOUPIL: Former President Trump’s lies about the 2020 election are dividing the Republican Party, and the most recent rejection of the former president’s claims is coming from his former vice president, Mike Pence.

MIKE PEENCE: Donald Trump claimed that he had the power to reverse the election. Trump is mistaken. The idea that any individual could elect the American president is frankly un-American.

DOKOUPIL: However, many other Republicans are embracing and even promoting the former president’s falsehoods. The GOP is attempting to establish a Florida special police force that will investigate election fraud. This alarms voting rights advocates. Ed O’Keefe has more.

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Election Fraud Police?; FL GOP Proposes Forming Police Force to Investigate Voter Fraud Claims]

CECILE SCOON [LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FLORIDA PRESIDENT]You should make it harder to vote.

ED O’KEEFE: Cecile Scoon runs Florida’s nonpartisan League of Women Voters and is concerned a proposal to establish a new police unit to investigate elections fraud is designed to keep minorities from voting.

SCOON: Bringing law enforcement and having them be around looking for problems, there is a concern and there is a fear, and there’s that chilling factor that they’re gonna target black people.

O’KEEFE: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis first introduced the idea last year.

GOV. GOV. [R-FL]This will ensure that election laws are faithfully enforced and Floridians have confidence in the outcome of their vote.

O’KEEFE: The current proposal stands at 25 investigators and officers across multiple departments. DeSantis, Florida Republicans, and others are pushing for more I.D. requirements for absentee votes. Florida’s Republican secretary of state, Laurel Lee, oversees elections.

LAUREL LEE [FLORIDA SECRETARY OF STATE]: We’re very confident that we hit a great intersection between making voting accessible and keeping voting secure.

O’KEEFE: Well, if it’s so easy, convenient, and safe, why do you need to make all these changes?

LEE: Each election offers the opportunity to examine what went right and what might be better.

O’KEEFE: Alleged voter fraud has been rare in Florida since the 2020 elections. Only four of the more than 11 million voters have seen their votes twice. But Lee says she supports the new election police unit because –

LEE: We simply don’t have the resources right now to be the partners we want to be to state and local law enforcement. This would enable us to be more supportive of our partners with these groups, and to prepare for all eventualities.

O’KEEFE: Democrats in the state legislature are strongly opposed.

TINA SOTT POLSKY [D-FLORIDA STATE SENATOR]: We should fear a police force for political elections.

O’KEEFE: The new proposals come just nine months after DeSantis signed another law with voting restrictions, like limiting the use of ballot drop boxes that’s now being challenged in federal court.

MARK EARLEY [LEON COUNTY ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR]: This was a really unnecessary law.

O’KEEFE: Leon County Elections Supervisor Mark Earley is set to testify this week. He’s scrambling to keep up with all the changes.

EARLEY (English): Lawmakers can create the law but we must ensure it works. And so that’s really become a huge part of my job now.

O’KEEFE: Earley is worried all the changes will confuse voters and scare off employees and volunteers he needs to run elections.

EARLEY: I think it’s become so controversial and adversarial it takes some of that special feeling that you’re really part of a trusted cadre of folks working to make democracy work.

O’KEEFE: So Republicans in at least two other states are pushing similar ideas. Georgia GOP candidate David Perdue, who is running for governor in Georgia, wants his own election police force. And in Arizona, a Republican state senator’s pushing for a bureau of elections that would have subpoena power. Tony?

DOKOUPIL : Ed, it is clear that there are very few instances of election fraud, and no evidence whatsoever of systematic fraud. Ron DeSantis said Florida’s 2020 election was a “gold standard”. So what’s behind this new effort in Florida, and by all these Republicans in different states?

O’KEEFE: Politics. It’s about appealing to the Trump base. Take a look at the most recent CBS News survey. Eight in ten Republicans believed that at least some illegal voters voted or had cast their ballots last month. Two-thirds of Republicans believe that voter fraud was rampant in the 2020 election, despite not having any evidence or any case to support it. Even though Trump had won Florida in 2020 and Biden won Arizona, Georgia, the other two states looking at this, he lost. Republicans will do everything they can to preserve those states. Tony?

DOKOUPIL : Okay, we’ll see how that affects the 2022/24 vote. Ed, we are very grateful.