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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 22 July 2022

Amid threats, security rises at meetings of public officials

Continued from Front tion, said Maria Benson, into the city.
the group’s communica- “Don’t advertise who you
Four people have been tions director. That includes are and exactly why you’re
charged by federal pros- coordinating with law en- here,” she said.
ecutors, with one of them forcement agencies be- Cohen said meeting or-
pleading guilty last month. fore and during the confer- ganizers coordinated with
In that case, Colorado Sec- ences, she said. federal, state and local law
retary of State Jena Gris- At the group’s summer enforcement for the event.
wold was the subject of meeting earlier this month She encouraged attend-
multiple threatening posts in Baton Rouge, local law ees to report any suspicious
on social media. enforcement officers were activity they saw, and hotel
Robert Heberle, deputy visible in the lobby and staff had been trained to
chief of the Justice Depart- meeting areas of the hotel be vigilant.
ment’s public integrity sec- where the conference was She said the association
tion, told state election of- being held. Members of did not live-stream any of
ficials recently that dozens the media were instructed A sign critical Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson is attached to the panels nor did it post
of cases were still under in- to keep their credentials a telephone pole outside of The Porthole and Boone’s where an any messages to its Twitter
vestigation and more pros- visible while in the meet- event for the National Governor’s Association was taking place account during the gather-
ecutions were expected. ing area. It’s not just elec- on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. ing, although there were no
Griswold, a Democrat who tion officials who are com- Associated Press social media prohibitions
has received numerous manding tighter security Security planning, which the group was taking no for those who attended.
death threats since the during their gatherings. was in the works for months, chances on security. “Please do be thoughtful
2020 election, traveled to When the National Gover- also involved police K-9 The exact location meet- about what you post and
the National Association of nors Association met ear- units and patrol boats in ing — which ended up be- remember that some of
Secretaries of State confer- lier this month in Portland, the harbor. ing just a block away from the people in this room are
ence earlier this summer in Maine, security was the “We are in different times the state Capitol — wasn’t dealing with serious security
Louisiana with private secu- highest in the state in dec- right now,” said Shannon revealed to reporters who concerns and we need to
rity. In a statement to The ades. Moss, spokeswoman for registered to cover it until be respectful to keep eve-
Associated Press, Griswold The heavy law enforce- the Maine Department of four days before the event ryone safe,” Cohen said at
said she won’t be intimidat- ment presence included Public Safety. “Just look at began. There were no the start of the gathering.
ed by the threats and said city police, state police and recent events that hap- signs in the hotel announc- Judd Choate, Colorado’s
a new state law she helped security details, including pened in our country — ing the meeting. And the state elections director for
pass increases protections troopers from other states. mass shootings, violent agenda detailing topics to the past 13 years, attend-
for election workers at all Plainclothes police roamed and disruptive protests, a be discussed, such as “un- ed the Wisconsin event
levels. the event, and extra offic- divisive political climate. derstanding and prevent- and said he has been sur-
“We cannot allow violent ers were kept out of sight, Law enforcement has to ing insider threats,” wasn’t prised at the level of rancor
threats to secretaries of in case they were needed. be prepared to deal with handed out until the start and hostility toward elec-
state and election work- The increased security pres- these kinds of potential se- of the meeting. tion workers. He said many
ers become an accepted ence took place as demon- curity threats.” Amy Cohen, executive of the attacks are coming
norm in the United States,” strators gathered to protest There were no protesters director of the state elec- from people with little un-
she said. new abortion restrictions outside the gathering of tions group, cautioned the derstanding of how elec-
Organizers of the secretar- in states such as Arkansas, election administrators this 170 registered attendees tions are run.
ies of state meeting, held home of outgoing associa- week in Wisconsin, but the from 33 states to wear their “We were kind of a sleepy
twice a year, have been tion chairman and current threats of violence against name tags when at the part of government, and
increasing security meas- Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Re- election workers have be- event, but to take them off we’re not anymore,” he
ures since the 2020 elec- publican. come so pervasive that when they left and went said.q

Turning up heat, U.S. targets Nicaraguan sugar imports

a list of countries that can Oct. 1. Nicaragua, which The U.S. also accuses the
ship sugar to the United got a quota of more than Ortega government of cor-
State at low import tax 22,000 metric tons in bud- ruption and sees the coun-
rates as the U.S. intensifies get year 2022, was exclud- try's close relationship with
economic pressure on the ed from the 2023 list. Russia as a regional security
authoritarian government Nicaragua last year export- threat.
of president Daniel Ortega. ed $83.5 million worth of Mario Amador, president
The U.S. hands out sugar sugar to the United States, of Nicaragua's National
import quotas annually by according to the U.S. De- Sugar Producers' Commis-
country and imposes rela- partment of Agriculture. sion, said he was caught
tively modest levies on ship- The administration has off guard by the decision
ments that come in below been considering ways to and called it unfortunate.
the cutoff. turn up the heat on the He said that neither the Ni-
The Office of the U.S. Trade Nicaraguan government, caraguan nor U.S. govern-
Representative put out a list which last year held what ments had given him ad-
A woman sells sugar cane at the Oriental Market in Managua, late Wednesday allocating the U.S. considered daily vance notice. Amador said
Nicaragua, Dec 7, 2012. A woman sells sugar cane at the quotas to 39 countries from show trails against antigov- he would try to speak with
Oriental Market in Managua, Nicaragua, Dec 7, 2012. Argentina to Zimbabwe for ernment activists ahead of officials at the U.S. embassy
Associated Press just over 1.1 million metric the fall elections. His likely in Managua and the Nica-
By PAUL WISEMAN and GA- WASHINGTON (AP) — tons for raw sugar cane. opponents locked out of raguan industry and trade
BRIELA SELSER The Biden administration The quotas cover the bud- the contest, Ortega easily ministry upon his return from
Associated Press dropped Nicaragua from get year 2023, which starts won a fourth straight term. a business trip to Mexico.q