Texts and emails released long after the so-called Arizona “audit” ended proved — beyond a doubt — the effort was encouraged, funded and carried out by loyalists to Donald Trump.
Those details could have remained hidden without The Arizona Republic fighting for more than two years for information about the 2020 ballot review.
What Arizonans didn’t know when then-Senate President Karen Fann announced the “audit” was that it was part of a nationwide effort to undermine elections in states Democrat Joe Biden won — and that the people involved were working behind the scenes to access voting equipment in other states as well as Arizona.
Tag Archives: 2020 Election Cycle
“Trump Asks Appeals Court to Toss Election Case on Immunity Grounds”
NYT:
Lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump asked an appeals court in Washington on Saturday night to toss a federal indictment accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, arguing that he was immune to the charges because they arose from actions he had taken while he was in the White House.
The weekend filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was the latest salvo in a long-running and crucial battle between Mr. Trump and the special counsel, Jack Smith, over whether the former president enjoys immunity to the election interference charges.
“Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case on Trump’s Immunity Defense for Now”
NYT:
The Supreme Court declined on Friday to decide for now whether former President Donald J. Trump is immune from prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
The decision to defer consideration of a central issue in the case was a major practical victory for Mr. Trump, whose lawyers have consistently sought to delay criminal cases against him around the country.
It is unclear what the court’s order will mean for the timing of the trial, which is scheduled to start on March 4, though it makes postponement more likely. The case will now move forward in an appeals court, which has put it on a fast track, and most likely return to the Supreme Court in the coming weeks or months.
“Trump recorded pressuring Wayne County canvassers not to certify 2020 vote”
Then-President Donald Trump personally pressured two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election, according to recordings reviewed by The Detroit News and revealed publicly for the first time.
On a Nov. 17, 2020, phone call, which also involved Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump told Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, the two GOP Wayne County canvassers, they’d look “terrible” if they signed the documents after they first voted in opposition and then later in the same meeting voted to approve certification of the county’s election results, according to the recordings.
“We’ve got to fight for our country,” said Trump on the recordings, made by a person who was present for the call with Palmer and Hartmann. “We can’t let these people take our country away from us.”
McDaniel, a Michigan native and the leader of the Republican Party nationally, said at another point in the call, “If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. … We will get you attorneys.”
To which Trump added: “We’ll take care of that.”
Governor Kemp testified before Fulton grand jury today
Atlanta Journal Constitution reported earlier today, based on two anonymous sources, the news that Governor Kemp would be testifying “before the Fulton County special grand jury examining whether former President Donald Trump and his allies criminally meddled in Georgia’s 2020 elections.” It is unusual for a sitting governor to testify before a grand jury and Kemp tied to avoid the appearance by invoking sovereign immunity, executive privilege and attorney-client privilege. Kemp also does not have the best relationship with the Fulton County District Attorney’s office. Still this appears to be an important step. “[T]he grand jury has already heard from the state’s three other top GOP officials: Raffensperger, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Attorney General Chris Carr.”
“How Trump’s 2020 Election Lies Have Gripped State Legislatures”
N.Y. TImes has a new analysis of Trump’s hold over elected officials in the battle-ground states. Support for 2020 election lies is quite strong (44% overall), still the Times notes that it is not unchecked (yet).
“The Times’s analysis also shows that these efforts have encountered significant resistance from key Republican figures, as well as Democrats.” In most states, the lawmakers who challenge the 2020 results do not yet have the votes. So while, they have advanced legislation, including to overturn popular election results, they have been unable to enact them. “And it is only a minority of Republican lawmakers who promote the legally dubious view that they—and not the votes of the people—can select the electors who formally cast a ballot for the president in the Electoral College.”
FEC Deadlocks, Again
Dave Levinthal and C. Ryan Barber at Business Insider report that the Federal Election Commission has deadlocked over a “complaint that Donald Trump’s 2020 White House campaign laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in spending through corporate entities closely tied to the ex-president and his family.” They have obtained a copy of the FEC’s letter to the Campaign Legal Center.