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Doug Bock Clark

@dougbockclark.bsky.social
8.1K followers 393 following 263 posts

Here to listen. Investigative Reporter: @ProPublica. Past work: @NYTMag @GQMagazine @NewYorker. Book: THE LAST WHALERS: amzn.to/2F8Eo1F. Movies based on my work at: @HBO; @Disney; @NatGeo; @PBSFrontline.

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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
16/ If you’re worried about confidentiality, tips for contacting me securely can be found: www.propublica.org/tips/
propublica.org
How to Contact ProPublica or Send a Tip Securely — ProPublica
Our job is to hold people and institutions accountable. To do that, we need evidence.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
15/ If you have tips about what the administration is doing to influence elections, reach out at: doug.clark@propublica.org or on Signal at: 678.243.0784 or DougBockClark.01.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
14/ This is the inside story of how the Trump administration’s massive campaign to find noncitizens voting showed its own claims of widespread fraud to be unsubstantiated. www.propublica.org/article/nonc...
propublica.org
How Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell Apart
To prove the president’s claims of illegal voting, the government has harnessed the power of Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of DHS established to combat the worst cross-border crime. So fa...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
13/ Ultimately, many of the Trump administration’s most high-profile actions around elections are founded on claims of massive numbers of noncitizens voting, from its executive orders to the president promoting the SAVE America Act as his “No. 1 priority.” www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
SAVE America Act is 'No. 1 priority,' Trump tells Republicans
The president focused on an elections bill as cost-of-living concerns weigh on the midterms.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
12/ A DOJ spokesperson dismissed critics’ concerns about privacy violations, saying “no one should oppose intergovernmental data sharing and coordination that enable swift investigations and prosecution of illegal alien voting.”
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
11/ The administration insisted it is producing meaningful results, saying Trump is “ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes totally accurate and up-to-date voter rolls free of errors and unlawfully registered non-citizen voters.”
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
10/ And DOJ leaders ignored internal concerns that transferring voter lists to HSI for criminal investigation might be illegal and violate privacy protections, given the sensitive personal information contained in those lists.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
9/ The administration pursued this effort despite repeated warnings that using HSI’s tech platforms to find noncitizens on voter rolls would lead to an “ungodly” number of false positives.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
8/ Current and former agents say critical investigations have languished as the agency has pivoted to take on noncitizen voting. “It’s never been a better time to be involved in transnational organized crime,” one former HSI official told us.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
7/ Large parts of the effort have been a mess, as attested to by emails from the Department of Justice obtained by ProPublica. “The HSI task force has been disjointed and disorganized,” one DOJ official wrote. The entire process, he said, had been “dysfunctional.”
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
6/ Despite intense White House pressure to find noncitizen voting cases, our reporting showed that Trump's crackdown has produced little: Just 41 people have been charged with voting illegally or other election-related crimes.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
5/ What we found – especially after the administration’s grandiose claims – was paltry, to say the least, as we detail in our investigation about how Trump’s unprecedented effort to prosecute noncitizen voters fell apart. www.propublica.org/article/nonc...
propublica.org
How Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell Apart
To prove the president’s claims of illegal voting, the government has harnessed the power of Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of DHS established to combat the worst cross-border crime. So fa...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
4/ So, @propublica.org put together a dream team of reporters to find out. Along with @jenafifield.bsky.social, @peterelkind.bsky.social, @kbmorales.bsky.social, Andy Mannix, and others, I spent months talking to sources in the federal government and plowing through hundreds of cases…
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
3/ Scores of agents were getting pulled off serious cases to investigate voter fraud. Trump would soon make claims of having found hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens on voter rolls. What the heck was happening, we wondered?
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
2/ A huge amount of resources was flowing to Homeland Security Investigations, a law enforcement agency in the Department of Homeland Security that usually handles the worst transnational crime – human trafficking, drug smuggling, etc. – to search for voter fraud.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
1/ This spring, while investigating the Trump administration’s efforts to influence the midterm elections, my reporting partner @jenafifield.bsky.social and I noticed something unprecedented, something very troubling… 🧵👇
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Thank you to the Society of Professional Journalists for the top overall honor in this year's Green Eyeshade Awards, after they also recently gave me the top writing award. I'm honored and appreciate the extra attention brought to the erosion of democracy in NC. www.greeneyeshade.org/2026-winners/
greeneyeshade.org
2026 winners
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
And thanks to the @GreenEyeshades and SPJ for all they do to support journalism in the Southeast and throughout the nation.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It also inspired an on-going investigation into the misuse of funds for the sexual-abuse survivors: www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
North Carolina Lawmakers Ask for Investigation Into Funding Disruptions for Sexual Abuse Survivors
In response to ProPublica’s reporting, a bipartisan committee of senators is asking the state auditor to investigate how $15 million intended to stop human trafficking had been spent and managed.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
And it resulted in numerous proposed laws, including a package of reforms from NC Democrats to block abuses that ProPublica revealed: t.co/o10RIdMxqH
t.co
https://www.propublica.org/article/north-carolina-legislation-governor-power
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It revealed how a GOP political power grab redirected funds for North Carolina’s sexual abuse survivors, depriving them of potentially life-saving services: www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
A Political Power Grab Redirected Funds for North Carolina’s Sexual Abuse Survivors. Women in Crisis Paid the Price.
The move, which led to disruptions in services for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, provides a glimpse of the consequences when a branch of government assumes unprecedented control.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It brought readers inside the North Carolina GOP’s decade-long push to seize power from the state’s Democratic governors: www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors
For almost a decade, North Carolina’s majority-Republican legislature tried six times to strip Democratic governors of control over the board overseeing the swing state’s elections. This year, it fina...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The series covered how Paul Newby, the chief justice of the NC Supreme Court, has turned his position into an instrument of political power and driven changes that have transformed his state and nation: www.propublica.org/article/paul...
propublica.org
“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America
Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Thanks to @mrsimon22.bsky.social for reporting with me, and all the support from Robin Fields, @mara-shalhoup.bsky.social, and @charlesornstein.bsky.social.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I'm honored that my stories for @propublica.org on the erosion of democracy in North Carolina have won the top overall writing award from the 2026 Society of Professional Journalists’ Green Eyeshade Awards. They were praised as "hard-hitting journalism that holds truth to power."
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
12/ Read more here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots
As part of President Trump’s continued push to discredit the results of the 2020 election, his administration has considered using AI technology to scrutinize tens of thousands of ballots seized in Fu...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
11/ The White House directed ProPublica to the FBI in response to detailed questions. The FBI did not respond to requests for comment.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
10/ FBI analysts who have refused to work on the project have been fired. www.ms.now/news/fbi-kas...
ms.now
FBI analysts fired after refusing to join Georgia 2020 election probe
The analysts, a husband and wife, told colleagues they did not believe the Trump administration’s investigation was justified, sources told MS NOW.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
9/ This signature-matching initiative comes at the same time as the FBI has mandated that 260 analysts be redirected from field offices nationwide to focus on the Fulton County probe, according to an agency memo reviewed by ProPublica. www.ms.now/news/fbi-dir...
ms.now
FBI directing hundreds of analysts to dig into Georgia election probe subjects, sources say
A personnel surge supporting Kash Patel’s “priority effort” is underway, with intelligence experts tasked with running tens of thousands of records checks by mid-July.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
8/ Some FBI staffers are trying to mitigate political pressure to find voter fraud by highlighting the limitations of this type of analysis, arguing it hasn’t been done at this scale, said a source.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
7/ Internal communications suggest that the approach in this case would involve comparing only one outside signature to those on the mail-in ballot envelopes — which makes it significantly more likely there will be discrepancies, experts said.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
6/ A source told ProPublica that there is political pressure to find evidence of fraud. “Everyone is of the opinion that, whether they find anything or not, they are going to continue” to pursue this, the source said.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
5/ Not only is signature matching already controversial, but the FBI is exploring using AI to assess the signatures on mail-in ballots seized from Fulton County, GA. It’s another push in the administration’s reinvestigation of the 2020 vote. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
FBI’s Search of Georgia Election Center Is “Dangerous,” Experts Warn
The search warrant, which sought 2020 election ballots, tabulator tapes, digital data and voter rolls from Fulton County, marked what experts described as a significant escalation in President Donald ...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
4/ If you’d like to see if you can figure out whether a mail-in ballot is legitimate by examining things like the size and slant of letters made in different circumstances, give it a shot at the link below. Most people don’t find it easy. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
3/ Signature matching is a process by which election officials try to determine if a mail-in ballot is fraudulent by comparing the signature on its envelope to another signature from the voter in question. One expert has described it as “witchcraft”: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
theatlantic.com
Signed, Sealed, Delivered—Then Discarded
Signature matching—which one expert described as “witchcraft”—could lead to thousands of legitimate ballots being thrown out.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
2/ With @jeremykohler.bsky.social, I just reported that the FBI has been exploring using a controversial technique known as signature matching to check the ballots for fraud. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots
As part of President Trump’s continued push to discredit the results of the 2020 election, his administration has considered using AI technology to scrutinize tens of thousands of ballots seized in Fu...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
1/ Wondering what the FBI has been doing with 2020 election materials it seized in a raid earlier this year, and how it figures into Trump’s plans for the midterm elections? Well, @ProPublica has been working to find out. 🧵👇
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Reposted by Doug Bock Clark
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
SCOOP: FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots, by @jeremykohler.bsky.social @dougbockclark.bsky.social
propublica.org
FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots
As part of President Trump’s continued push to discredit the results of the 2020 election, his administration has considered using AI technology to scrutinize tens of thousands of ballots seized in Fu...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
No worries! And so many other journalists have also done top-rate work on all these subjects! This is just a quick update on proposed legislation, not a comprehensive review of the reams of good work that other journalists have done on the issues.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Thanks for the kind words about the articles. The legislators are quoted in the article as to that matter, and they also told me directly how ProPublica’s reporting had informed the legislation.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
5/ Our investigation into how the NC Governor became the country's weakest, according to experts: www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors
For almost a decade, North Carolina’s majority-Republican legislature tried six times to strip Democratic governors of control over the board overseeing the swing state’s elections. This year, it fina...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
4/ Our investigation into the Judicial Standards Commission: www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
North Carolina Supreme Court Secretly Squashed Discipline of Two GOP Judges Who Admitted to Violating Judicial Code
The decisions came despite the Judicial Standards Commission’s recommendations to publicly reprimand the judges, and these are likely the only times in more than a decade in which the court didn’t fol...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
3/ Read some of the articles in ProPublica's series that inspired the proposed legislation below. Our investigation into the state's chief justice: www.propublica.org/article/paul...
propublica.org
“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America
Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
2/ “ProPublica’s reporting shows the perils of not having this law,” Rep. Phil Rubin said, about one proposed bill. Voters should have “the opportunity to secure their constitution, demand absolute transparency in lawmaking and ensure that people, not backroom deals, have the final say.”
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
1/ Spurred by my reporting for @propublica.org, Democratic lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced a package of bills aimed at protecting traditional powers of the state’s governor and reforming oversight of its court system. #ncpol www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
North Carolina Democrats Propose Changes to Block GOP Power Transfers and Secrecy
The legislation, prompted in part by ProPublica’s reporting, aims to protect traditional powers of the state’s governor and reform oversight of its court system.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
3/ Read some of the articles in ProPublica's series that inspired the laws below. Our investigation into the state's chief justice: www.propublica.org/article/paul...
propublica.org
“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America
Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
2/ “ProPublica’s reporting shows the perils of not having this law,” Rep. Phil Rubin said, about one bill. Voters should have “the opportunity to secure their constitution, demand absolute transparency in lawmaking and ensure that people, not backroom deals, have the final say.”
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
14/ And thanks to Matt Rota and Henrike Lendowski for the illustrations and animations.
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
13/ Read the full story here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
When Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held. But if faced with the same tests today, those barriers — and people who held the line — would l...
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Doug Bock Clark @dougbockclark.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
12/ Much of what we report is new, including: Details about how close guardrails came to breaking in 2020. What election deniers have been doing in gov. positions. How the FBI raid to seize 2020 election materials in GA came about.
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