Highlights:
Trump Alleged That Democrats Were “Trying To Steal The Election” Just As He Officially Became The Republican Nominee For President. According to Agence France-Presse, “Donald Trump opened his bid for a second term after securing the Republican nomination Monday, with his party launching its national convention as the US president claims Democrats want to ‘steal’ the election that polls currently show him losing. Minutes after the party completed the nomination vote confirming Trump as the candidate on November 3, he appeared at the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, to deliver a rambling, often dark speech lasting close to an hour. From the opening words, he told Republicans to be on alert for what he claimed was a Democratic plan to rig the contest through increased use of mail-in voting – a measure Democrats say is needed to protect people from catching COVID-19 in crowded polling stations. ‘They are trying to steal the election,’ he told party delegates, many of whom were wearing masks. ‘The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.’” [Agence France-Presse, 8/25/20]
April 2020: Trump Alleged That There Was “Tremendous Potential For Voter Fraud” With Voting-By-Mail. According to CNBC, “President Donald Trump took aim Wednesday at voting by mail, saying Republicans lose out in the process that several states are already using to cut the risk of transmitting the coronavirus. ‘Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it,’ Trump tweeted. ‘Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans.’” [CNBC, 4/8/20]
May 2020: Trump Alleged That Mail-In Ballots Would Be “Substantially Fraudulent.” According to Forbes, “In his latest, and possibly strongest, rebuke yet against mail-in voting, President Trump, who is concerned Democrats would benefit from such measures, tweeted Tuesday morning that there is ‘NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent,’ and definitively declared that ‘This will be a Rigged Election.’” [Forbes, 5/26/20]
June 2020: Trump Claimed Without Evidence That Foreign Countries Would Send In “MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS.” According to NPR News, “President Trump has made it clear that he does not support allowing all registered voters access to mail ballots this fall, even during a pandemic. But he keeps changing his story about why he’s opposed. Among his past claims, the president has said ballots would be stolen out of mailboxes, despite very little evidence of such fraud over the past 20 years. Trump has also said universal access to mail-in voting would boost Democrats and prevent Republicans from winning future elections, despite studies and real-life election results contradicting that theory. On Monday, he changed his argument again, claiming without evidence that foreign countries would print and send in ‘MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS.’” [NPR News, 6/22/20]
July 2020: Trump: “Mail-In Ballots Will Lead To Massive Electoral Fraud.” According to Trump’s Twitter, “Mail-In Ballots will lead to massive electoral fraud and a rigged 2020 Election. Look at all of the cases and examples that are out there right now, with the Patterson, N.J., being the most recent example. Republicans, in particular, cannot let this happen!” [Twitter, @realDonaldTrump, 7/2/20]
September 2020: Trump: “Mail Ballots Are Very Dangerous For This Country Because Of Cheaters.” According to the New York Times, “’Mail ballots, they cheat,’ Mr. Trump said at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. ‘Mail ballots are very dangerous for this country because of cheaters. They go collect them. They are fraudulent in many cases. They have to vote. They should have voter ID, by the way.’” [New York Times, 9/28/20]
Voter Fraud Was Exceptionally Rare, Including In Mail-In Voting
A 2022 Study Found That Increased Mail-In Voting Did Not Increase The Risk Of Voter Fraud. According to Courthouse News, “While previous research has focused on vulnerabilities of electronic systems used for in-person voting, a new study led by Towson University professor and elections security expert Natalie Scala, published Monday in the scientific journal Risk Analysis, dives deep into issues with voting by mail. In the run-up to the November 2020 election, then-President Donald Trump claimed increased use of mail ballots would lead to widespread fraud and some ballots would be returned too late to be counted because the Postal Service could not handle the influx of election mail. But Scala’s research undercuts those claims. ‘What we found in our study is that the dramatic scale-up of mail voting in the 2020 election did not increase risk,’ she said. ‘We argue that expanding mail voting is safe and should be used moving forward because it increases voter access and reduces the likelihood of adversarial interference.’” [Courthouse News, 1/24/22]
Studies Have Found Voter Fraud To Be Extremely Rare. According to the New York Times, “Studies have shown that all forms of voting fraud are extremely rare in the United States. A national study in 2016 found few credible allegations of fraudulent voting.” [New York Times, 9/28/20]
Even Trump’s Voter Fraud Panel Found No Evidence Of Massive Election Fraud. According to the New York Times, “A panel that Mr. Trump charged with investigating election corruption found no real evidence of fraud before he disbanded it in 2018.” [New York Times, 9/28/20]
In The Past, Trump And His Associates Regularly Used Vote-By-Mail To Cast Their Ballots
Trump And The First Lady Requested Mail-In Ballots For Florida’s 2020 Primary Election. According to Politico, “The day before publicly opposing funding to accommodate an expected surge in Americans voting by mail in this year’s presidential election, President Donald Trump requested a mail-in ballot to vote in Florida’s upcoming primary. The elections website for Palm Beach County, Fla., where Trump is registered to vote, shows that mail-in ballots were requested for the president and first lady Melania Trump on Wednesday. The news was first reported by USA Today.” [Politico, 8/13/20]
Trump Voted By Mail In The 2017 New York City Mayoral Contest. According to the New York Daily News, “President Trump and his family of New Yorkers were not in the Big Apple Nov. 7 when voters went the polls, so they voted by absentee ballot. Or at least they tried to. Officials at the city’s Board of Elections said the President signed and dated an absentee ballot along with an application on Oct. 19, checking a box that said he would be absent from the city on Election Day. First Lady Melania Trump did the same, submitting a handwritten form that had everything in capital letters. But the First Lady did not sign the envelope she put the ballot in as required by BOE, so her vote wasn’t counted.” [New York Daily News, 12/11/17]
Pence Voted By Mail In Indiana In 2018. According to WRTV, “Vice President Mike Pence cast an absentee ballot in Indiana’s primary election. Pence voted by mail for the primary, the Marion County Clerk’s Office said Friday. The former Indiana governor and current Vice President listed his address as the Governor’s Residence, drawing criticism from state Democrats. Current Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has lived at the Governor’s Residence since early 2017.” [WRTV, 5/11/18]
Pence Also Voted By Mail In Indiana In The 2020 Primary. According to Insider, “Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence voted by mail for this month’s Indiana Republican primary using a home address that they haven’t lived at for nearly four years, Insider has learned. The Pences cast their mail-in ballot on April 13, listing the Indiana governor’s mansion as their residence, according to a copy of the state’s voter files.” [Insider, 6/22/20]
Tampa Bay Times Headline: “Trump Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Has Voted By Mail 11 Times In 10 Years.” [Tampa Bay Times, 5/27/20]
McEnany Voted By Mail In Florida Elections Since 2010, Including The 2020 Presidential Primary. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “For a week, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has defended President Donald Trump’s assault on vote-by-mail, insisting, like her boss, that it invites election fraud. But, also like her boss, McEnany has taken advantage of its convenience time and time again. In fact, the Tampa native has voted by mail in every Florida election she has participated in since 2010, according to a Tampa Bay Times review of her voting history. Most recently, she voted by mail in the state’s March 2020 presidential primary, just as Trump did after he made Florida his new permanent home.” [Tampa Bay Times, 5/27/20]
Former Trump Campaign Manager Brad Parscale Voted By Mail In 2018
Parscale Voted By Mail In The 2018 Election. According to CBS News, “Brad Parscale, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, did not vote for President Trump in 2016. In fact, he didn’t vote in the general election at all, according to election records obtained by CBS News. Bexar County, Texas Election Department documents show Parscale, then a San Antonio resident, voted in the 2016 primary but not in the general election. He did cast a ballot in the 2012 and 2018 federal elections. And his 2018 vote was submitted by mail.” [CBS News, 6/19/20]
Former Trump Campaign Lawyer Jenna Ellis Voted By Mail At Least Three Times
Ellis Voted By Mail At Least Three Times. According to CNN, “A top Trump campaign adviser and lawyer who has criticized voting-by-mail and warned without evidence that it could lead to election fraud previously voted by mail at least three times. Jenna Ellis voted by mail in Colorado in 2012, 2013 and 2014, according to public records obtained by CNN’s KFile.” [CNN, 7/14/20]
November 1, 2020: Axios Reported, “Trump Has Told Confidants He’ll Declare Victory” On Election Night “Even If The Electoral College Still Hinges On Large Numbers Of Uncounted Votes In Key States.” According to Axios, “President Trump has told confidants he’ll declare victory on Tuesday night if it looks like he’s ‘ahead,’ according to three sources familiar with his private comments. That’s even if the Electoral College outcome still hinges on large numbers of uncounted votes in key states like Pennsylvania.” [Axios, 11/1/20]
Trump Denied The Claims. According to Axios, “The latest: Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump denied that he would declare victory prematurely” [Axios, 11/1/20]
Trump Declared Victory In The Presidential Election, Even As Millions Of Legitimate Votes Had Yet To Be Counted And Multiple Battleground States Were Not Called. According to CNBC, “President Donald Trump falsely claimed early Wednesday that he had won the presidential election, even though millions of legitimate votes had yet to be counted and a half-dozen battleground states were still not called.” [CNBC, 11/4/20]
Trump, Hours After Polls Had Closed, Before Ballots Were Fully Counted: “Frankly, We Did Win This Election.” According to the New York Times, “Not long after, Mr. Trump did just that, appearing for the cameras at 2:21 a.m. in the East Room in front of a wall of American flags. He denounced the election in the speech, calling the vote ‘a fraud on the American public’ and an ‘embarrassment’ to the country. ‘We were getting ready to win this election,’ he told his supporters and the television viewers. ‘Frankly, we did win this election.’” [New York Times, 6/13/22]
On Election Night, Former New York City Mayor Giuliani Reportedly Told Trump Democrats Were “Stealing” The Election “From Us.” According to the New York Times, “It was election night in 2020, and President Donald J. Trump was seeing his re-election bid slip away, vote by vote. According to video testimony prepared by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, Mr. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and personal lawyer for Mr. Trump, was spouting conspiracy theories. ‘They’re stealing it from us,’ Mr. Giuliani told the president when he found him.” [New York Times, 6/13/22]
Trump Aides And Advisors, Including Miller, Stepien, And Ivanka Trump, Urged Trump Not To Declare Victory. According to the New York Times, “Several times that night, Mr. Trump’s own family members and closest advisers urged him to reject Mr. Giuliani’s advice. Mr. Miller told him not to ‘go and declare victory’ without a better sense of the numbers. ‘It’s far too early to be making any proclamation like that,’ said Bill Stepien, his campaign manager. Even his daughter Ivanka Trump told him that the results were still being counted.” [New York Times, 6/13/22]
Trump Invited Michigan Republican Legislators To The White House For Discussions As He Sought To Get The State To Overturn Biden’s Win. According to the New York Times, “President Trump on Thursday accelerated his efforts to interfere in the nation’s electoral process, taking the extraordinary step of reaching out directly to Republican state legislators from Michigan and inviting them to the White House on Friday for discussions as the state prepares to certify President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. the winner there. […] The president requested the White House meeting with Mike Shirkey, the State Senate majority leader, and Lee Chatfield, the speaker of the Michigan House, and they will sit down with him on Friday afternoon, according to a person briefed on the arrangements. It is not clear what the president will discuss.” [New York Times, 11/19/20]
Trump Met With Michigan House And Senate Leaders And Three Additional Michigan State Senators At The White House Amid His Push To Overturn The Election. According to National Public Radio, “Several Republican lawmakers from Michigan met Friday with President Trump as he continues his unprecedented efforts to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 election. Trump sat down with the leaders of the state House and Senate and three other Michigan state senators ahead of the Michigan's canvassing board meeting on Monday, when the election results are expected to be certified.” [National Public Radio, 11/20/20]
Trump Reportedly Called A Republican Election Official In Michigan After She Voted To Certify Biden’s Win. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump called at least one G.O.P. elections official in the Detroit area this week after she voted to certify Mr. Biden’s overwhelming victory there, and he is now set to meet with legislators ahead of Michigan’s deadline on Monday to certify the results. [….] On Tuesday night, Mr. Trump called Monica Palmer, a Republican member of the canvassing board of Wayne County, which includes Detroit. Ms. Palmer was at the center of a fast-moving controversy over the routine certification of votes, when she and the other Republican board member at first declined to certify the county’s votes, then changed their minds under pressure from angry voters and officials.” [New York Times, 11/19/20]
Trump Twice Called The Pennsylvania Republican Speaker Of The House In An Attempt To Reverse His Election Loss. According to the Washington Post, “President Trump called the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives twice during the past week to make an extraordinary request for help reversing his loss in the state, reflecting a broadening pressure campaign by the president and his allies to try to subvert the 2020 election result.” [Washington Post, 12/7/20]
In Just Over Three Weeks After The Election, Trump Tweeted About Once A Day About Alleged Voter Fraud In Pennsylvania. According to the New Yorker, “Since the election, Trump has tweeted roughly once a day with claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania. ‘The rate of rejected Mail-In Ballots is 30 X’s lower in Pennsylvania this year than it was in 2016,’ he wrote recently. ‘This is why they kept our poll watchers and observers out of the ‘SACRED’ vote counting rooms!’” [New Yorker, 11/27/20]
Arizona’s Republican House Speaker Bowers Testified That Giuliani Espoused Conspiracy Theories About Massive Voter Fraud In Arizona With No Evidence. According to NPR News, “Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican, told the committee during today’s hearing about the pressure put on him by former President Donald Trump and his allies, including Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Bowers testified that Giuliani told him of allegations of voter fraud committed by undocumented immigrants or dead people who were listed as having voted. Bowers said he and other GOP legislators pushed for explanations into the theories and for Giuliani to provide sufficient evidence to justify recalling the state’s presidential electors. ‘In my recollection,’ Bowers said of Giuliani, ‘he said, We have lots of theories we just don’t have the evidence.’’” [NPR News, 6/21/22]
Bowers Said Giuliani Urged Him To Unilaterally Call The Legislature Back To Recall Biden Electors. According to NPR News, “Bowers said Giuliani pressured him to call the Arizona legislature back into session — a unilateral move Bowers said he cannot do — to recall the electors that would be going to President Biden after Biden beat Trump in the state.” [NPR News, 6/21/22]
Bowers Said Trump Called On Him To Hold A Hearing To Investigate Voter Fraud In Arizona. According to NPR News, “The former president asked him to hold a hearing to investigate allegations of fraud in Arizona, he said, but added he didn’t think the evidence ‘merited a hearing.’” [NPR News, 6/21/22]
Trump’s Lawyer John Eastman Called On Bowers To Decertify The Biden Electors. According to NPR News, “Lawyer John Eastman also put pressure on Bowers, asking him during a phone call to set up a vote in the legislature to decertify the electors for the state. ‘His suggestion was that we would do it, and I said I can’t,’ Bowers said, adding that Eastman pressured him by telling him to ‘just do it and let the courts sort it out.’” [NPR News, 6/21/22]
Trump Called Doug Ducey In The Middle Of A Press Conference Certifying Biden’s Win. According to the Arizona Republic, “Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday confirmed that it indeed was President Trump who called him during Monday's vote certification ceremony, but the governor said the president did not ask for an overturning of the state's results. As Ducey signed the election certification, which gave Arizona's 11 electoral votes to President-elect Joe Biden, his cellphone rang to the tune of ‘Hail to the Chief,’ which Ducey previously said he assigned to calls from Trump. Ducey silenced the phone, set it aside, and continued with the vote certification.” [Arizona Republic, 12/2/20]
Trump And His Allies Also Put Direct Pressure On The Maricopa Board Of Supervisors To Overturn The County’s Election Results
Trump Tried To Personally Speak To The Chair Of The Maricopa Board Of Supervisors As His Team Sought To Overturn The State’s Election Results. According to the Arizona Republic, “Then-President Donald Trump tried to speak directly with the chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in the weeks after the November 2020 election as his allies sought to change the election results in a state he narrowly lost to Democrat Joe Biden.” [Arizona Republic, 7/2/21]
Maricopa Supervisor Bill Gates, A Republican, Received A Call From Giuliani To Discuss Getting The Election “Fixed Up.” According to the Arizona Republic, “Supervisor Bill Gates, a Republican who came of age politically in the 1980s, has found himself on the front lines time and again since November. In one remarkable moment, Gates did not return a call from Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who left him a message on Christmas Eve as Gates was running an errand to a pharmacy. Gates didn’t recognize the phone number and let the call go to voicemail. Giuliani’s attempt to speak to Gates came after Arizona Republicans had subpoenaed the ballots and election machines and the board had voted to sue the Senate. One day earlier, on Dec. 23, Trump urged Georgia’s chief elections investigator to uncover ‘dishonesty’ in the election there to undo Joe Biden’s win. ‘Bill, it’s Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer,’ Giuliani said in the message obtained by The Arizona Republic. ‘If you get a chance, would you please give me a call? I have a few things I’d like to talk over with you. Maybe we can get this thing fixed up. You know, I really think it’s a shame that Republicans sort of are both in this, kind of, situation. And I think there may be a nice way to resolve this for everybody.’” [Arizona Republic, 5/23/21]
Trump Told Georgia’s Secretary Of State To “Find” Enough Votes In The State To Overturns Biden’s Win. According to the Washington Post, “President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to ‘find’ enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.” [Washington Post, 1/3/21]
Trump Reportedly Threatened Raffensperger That The Secretary Of State Was Taking A “Big Risk” By Not Rigging The Election In Trump’s Favor. According to the Washington Post, “The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue his false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking ‘a big risk.’” [Washington Post, 1/3/21]
Trump Said Raffensperger “Owed Me Votes.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had no regrets about his demand that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ‘find’ enough votes to reverse his election defeat, a recorded conversation that is at the center of an ongoing Fulton County criminal probe. Pressed about the call at a CNN town hall by moderator Kaitlan Collins, Trump said Raffensperger ‘owed me votes because the election was rigged’ and repeated false conspiracy theories about his defeat in 2020 by Joe Biden.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/10/23]
Trump Called Governor Kemp To Urge Him To Overturn The Election Results By Ordering An Audit Of Absentee Ballots. According to the Washington Post, “President Trump called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Saturday morning to urge him to persuade the state legislature to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state and asked the governor to order an audit of absentee ballot signatures, the latest brazen effort by the president to interfere in the 2020 election.” [Washington Post, 12/5/20]
Trump Pressured Georgia Lead Elections Investigator To Find Election Fraud. According to the Washington Post, “Dec. 23: Trump calls Watson and urges her to search hard for election fraud. ‘When the right answer comes out, you’ll be praised,’ Trump says in a recording of the call, adding, ‘You have the most important job in the country right now.’ Trump says he called at Meadows’s request. Watson later says she was ‘shocked’ the president was calling her but didn’t feel pressured.” [Washington Post, 10/7/21]
As Recently As March 2022, Eastman Urged Wisconsin Republicans To Decertify The 2020 Election Win For Biden. According to the Hill, “John Eastman, a former legal adviser to President Trump, as recently as last month pushed the Wisconsin legislature to decertify its 2020 election results amid a legal battle over whether he and the former president committed a crime in their efforts to unwind the presidential election. […] But as recently as March 16, Eastman lobbied Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and other proponents of decertification to overturn during meeting at the state Capitol, according to multiple reports.” [Hill, 4/12/22]
Eastman Held A Two-Hour Meeting With Wisconsin’s Republican Speaker Urging Him To Decertify The Election Results. According to ABC News, “Just as he was emerging as a top target of the House committee investigating the Capitol attack, former Trump lawyer John Eastman took a trip to Wisconsin. Eastman, a right-wing lawyer who drafted a plan for former President Donald Trump to cling to power by falsely claiming then-Vice President Mike Pence could reject legitimate electors during the 2020 presidential election, was part of a small group of Trump allies who secured a private meeting last month to try and convince the Republican leader of the Wisconsin state Assembly to decertify President Joe Biden’s win, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told ABC. On March 16, Eastman and others spent nearly two hours behind closed doors pressuring Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to nullify the 2020 election and reclaim the electors awarded to Biden, the sources said, which legal experts say is impossible.” [ABC News, 4/11/22]
Trump And His Allies Filed 62 Lawsuits To Overturn The Election. According to USA Today, “The president and his allies filed 62 lawsuits in state and federal courts seeking to overturn election results in states the president lost, according to Marc Elias, a Democratic election lawyer who is tracking the outcomes.” [USA Today, 1/6/21]
Of The 62 Cases, 61 Failed In Decisions From Republican And Democrat-Appointed Justices. According to USA Today, “Out of the 62 lawsuits filed challenging the presidential election, 61 have failed, according to Elias. Some cases were dismissed for lack of standing and others based on the merits of the voter fraud allegations. The decisions have came from both Democratic-appointed and Republican-appointed judges – including federal judges appointed by Trump.” [USA Today, 1/6/21]
Trump’s Only Court Victory In These Series Of Cases Would Not Have Changed The Outcome Of Pennsylvania’s Election. According to USA Today, “The lone victory for the Trump team was a small one. A Pennsylvania judge sided with the Trump campaign, ruling that voters could not go back and ‘cure’ their ballots if they failed to provide proper identification three days after the election. The ruling affected few votes and did not change the outcome in Pennsylvania, which Biden won by 81,660 votes.” [USA Today, 1/6/21]
NPR News: Senate Judiciary Committee Found “Trump Tried To Force Justice Department Officials To Help Him Keep His Grip On Power.” According to NPR News, “An interim report from the Senate Judiciary Committee provides the most detailed look yet at former President Donald Trump’s attempts to enlist the Justice Department in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The report from the panel’s Democratic majority documents the chaotic final weeks of Trump’s presidency following his loss to Joe Biden, and how Trump tried to force Justice Department officials to help him keep his grip on power.” [NPR News, 10/7/21]
Trump Reached Out To Senior DOJ Officials At Least 9 Times To Declare The 2020 Election Corrupt. According to NBC News, “From the day former Attorney General William Barr announced his resignation in mid-December of last year to early January, Trump held at least nine calls or in-person meetings with senior DOJ officials in which he directly and repeatedly asked them ‘to initiate investigations, file lawsuits on his behalf, and publicly declare the 2020 election ‘corrupt,’’ according to the report, prepared by the panel’s Democratic staff.” [NBC News, 10/7/21]
During A December 27, 2020, Call, Trump Pressed Deputy Attorney General Rosen And His Deputy Donoghue On Unfounded Voter Fraud Claims. According to the New York Times, “The exchange unfolded during a phone call on Dec. 27 in which Mr. Trump pressed the acting attorney general at the time, Jeffrey A. Rosen, and his deputy, Richard P. Donoghue, on voter fraud claims that the Justice Department had found no evidence for.” [New York Times, 7/30/21]
According to Donoghue’s Notes, Trump Urged DOJ Officials To Simpl, “Say The Election Was Corrupt + Leave The Rest To” The President And His Allies. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Donoghue warned that the department had no power to change the outcome of the election. Mr. Trump replied that he did not expect that, according to notes Mr. Donoghue took memorializing the conversation. ‘Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me’ and to congressional allies, Mr. Donoghue wrote in summarizing Mr. Trump’s response.” [New York Times, 7/30/21]
Trump Sought To Install Loyalist, Who Promised To Pursue His Bogus Election Efforts, To Lead The DOJ
Trump Considered Replacing Rosen With DOJ Official Jeffrey Clark As Acting AG After Clark Promised To Pursue Trump’s Bogus Voter Fraud Allegations. According to NPR News, “Trump was already considering replacing Rosen with a lower-ranking department official, Jeffrey Clark, who was promising to pursue Trump’s false election fraud claims.” [NPR News, 10/7/21]
A December 2020 Memo From Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro Proposed The Idea Of Using Fake Electors To Overturn The 2020 Election Despite Concluding That The Supreme Court Would “Likely” Reject The Plan. According to the New York Times, “A lawyer allied with President Donald J. Trump first laid out a plot to use false slates of electors to subvert the 2020 election in a previously unknown internal campaign memo that prosecutors are portraying as a crucial link in how the Trump team’s efforts evolved into a criminal conspiracy. The existence of the Dec. 6, 2020, memo came to light in last week’s indictment of Mr. Trump, though its details remained unclear. But a copy obtained by The New York Times shows for the first time that the lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, acknowledged from the start that he was proposing ‘a bold, controversial strategy’ that the Supreme Court ‘likely’ would reject in the end.” [New York Times, 8/8/23]
Trump Called To Terminate The Constitution After His Loss In The 2020 Election. According to the Washington Post, “Donald Trump’s suggestion this weekend that the U.S. Constitution should be terminated in response to his baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen drew a largely muted response from Republicans, the latest sign that many GOP officials remain reluctant to take on the former president even as he challenges the country’s founding precepts. Trump’s online posts Saturday — including a message in which he wrote that ‘UNPRECEDENTED FRAUD REQUIRES UNPRECEDENTED CURE!’ — represented a significant escalation in his attacks on American institutions and democratic norms, one that scholars said must be heeded as a sign of how far he is willing to go to regain power. ‘A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,’ Trump posted on the Truth Social platform. ‘Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!’” [Washington Post, 12/4/22]
Trump Tweeted Out Support For His Followers To Join “Big” And “Wild” Action On January 6 In D.C. According to Reuters, “Trump, who has refused to concede his loss to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, had urged his supporters multiple times to come to Washington for a rally on Wednesday, the day the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate were scheduled to certify the results of the Electoral College. ‘Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election,’ Trump, a Republican, tweeted on Dec. 20. ‘Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!’” [Reuters, 1/6/21]
Trump Encouraged His Supporters To March To The Capitol And “Cheer On Our Brave Senators And Congressmen And Women.” According to Reuters, “They turned out in the thousands and heard the president urge them to march on the Capitol building to express their anger at the voting process and to pressure their elected officials to reject the results. ‘We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and Congressmen and women,’ Trump told the crowd, speaking with the White House as a backdrop.” [Reuters, 1/6/21]
Trump Called On His Supporters To “Fight” And “Never Concede” That He Lost The 2020 Election. According to Reuters, “Appearing at what could be his last rally as the sitting president, Trump exhorted his supporters ‘to fight.’ ‘We will never give up, we will never concede,’ Trump said, delighting the crowd by calling Democratic victories the product of what he called ‘explosions of bullshit.’ ‘Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!’ people chanted in reply.” [Reuters, 1/6/21]
Trump Called Those Who Stormed The Capitol “Great Patriots.” According to Reuters, “’I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election,’ Trump said, repeating familiar falsehoods. ‘But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order.’ He posted another message that called the mob ‘great patriots’ who were reacting to an election victory ‘viciously stripped away.’ Twitter later hid three tweets and locked Trump’s account.” [Reuters, 1/6/21]
Trump Reportedly Watched The Insurrection On TV. According to the Washington Post, “Trump watched the attack play out on television and resisted acting, neither to coordinate a federal response nor to instruct his supporters to disperse. He all but abdicated his responsibilities as commander in chief — a president reduced to mere bystander.” [Washington Post, 10/31/21]
A Senior Republican Said Trump Was “Enamored” By The Insurrectionists. According to the Washington Post, “And there they were, literally fighting to keep Trump in power. ‘He was enamored with [how] ‘all these people are coming to fight for me,’’ said a senior Republican close to him. ‘I don’t think he appreciated what was going on.’” [Washington Post, 10/31/21]
Rep. Cheney Said Trump Believed His Supporters “Were Doing What They Should Be Doing.” According to Rolling Stone, “Cheney also said, ‘President Trump believed his supporters at the Capitol … and I quote… ‘were doing what they should be doing.’ This is what he told his staff as they pleaded with him to call off the mob, to instruct his supporters to leave.’” [Rolling Stone, 6/9/22]
Trump Reportedly Approved Of Calls From His Supporters At The Capitol To “Hang Mike Pence.” According to CNN, “A former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told the House January 6 committee that then-President Donald Trump had suggested to Meadows he approved of the ‘hang Mike Pence’ chants from rioters who stormed the US Capitol, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.” [CNN, 5/25/22]
Trump Reportedly Suggested His “Supporters Have The Right Idea” When Threatening To “Hang Mike Pence.” According to Rolling Stone, “While a violent mob attacked the Capitol, equipped with a gallows for his vice president, President Donald Trump endorsed the crowd’s chants of ‘Hang Mike Pence’ when speaking to his advisors, according to the Jan. 6 committee. ‘Maybe our supporters have the right idea,’ Trump said, according to committee Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney. ‘Mike Pence deserves it.’” [Rolling Stone, 6/9/22]
Trump Tweeted Attack That Pence “Didn’t Have The Courage To Do What Should Have Been Done” During The Insurrection. According to the Washington Post, “During the riot — and as Congress still hadn’t finished its business — Trump attacks Pence in a tweet. ‘Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,’ Trump says. The tweet came shortly after Pence was evacuated amid the unrest. Rioters were later revealed to have chanted, ‘Hang Mike Pence.’” [Washington Post, 10/7/21]
Trump Boasted About The Crowd Size He Attracted At The January 6 Insurrection At A Rally In Minden, Nevada. According to Newsweek, “Donald Trump boasted that the crowd he attracted to Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 was the ‘biggest’ he's ever seen. At his rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday night, the former president said ‘these corrupt people’—referring to the media—’will never take a camera and turn it around and show them how many people are here. They never do it. They're corrupt.’ He promptly went on to brag about the amount of his supporters who had gathered to hear him speak on January 6, 2021, after he spent weeks pushing baseless claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. His supporters later stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to disrupt Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's victory. But Trump's focus on Saturday night was the crowd size. ‘You know the biggest crowd I've ever seen? January 6th,’ he said. ‘And you never hear that. It was the biggest. And they were there largely to protest a corrupt and rigged and stolen election. ‘It was the biggest crowd and you never hear that and you see very few pictures of it... that was the biggest crowd, I believe, I've ever spoken to.’” [Newsweek, 10/9/22]
Wash. Post: “Trump Declined For More Than Three Hours To Tell The Renegades Rioting In His Name To Stand Down And Go Home.” According to the Washington Post, “The Capitol was under siege — and the president, glued to the television, did nothing. For 187 minutes, Trump resisted entreaties to intervene from advisers, allies and his elder daughter, as well as lawmakers under attack. Even as the violence at the Capitol intensified, even after Vice President Mike Pence, his family and hundreds of Congress members and their staffers hid to protect themselves, even after the first two people died and scores of others were assaulted, Trump declined for more than three hours to tell the renegades rioting in his name to stand down and go home.” [Washington Post, 10/31/21]
As The Attack Played Out, Trump Refused To Coordinate A Federal Response Or Instruct His Supporters To Leave. According to the Washington Post, “Trump watched the attack play out on television and resisted acting, neither to coordinate a federal response nor to instruct his supporters to disperse. He all but abdicated his responsibilities as commander in chief — a president reduced to mere bystander.” [Washington Post, 10/31/21]
February 2024: Trump Claimed Nancy Pelosi, And Not His Own Supporters, “Caused” The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to NBC News, “Speaking to reporters in front of his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump erroneously claimed that the Jan. 6 attack was ‘caused by’ Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who served as House speaker at the time.” [NBC News, 2/8/24]
Trump Lied That Nancy Pelosi Turned Down National Guard Protection On January 6. According to the Associated Press, “TRUMP, on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s actions on Jan. 6: ‘Because I offered her 10,000 soldiers or National Guard and she turned them down.’ THE FACTS: Pelosi did not direct the National Guard. Further, as the Capitol came under attack, she and then-Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called for military assistance, including from the National Guard. The Capitol Police Board makes the decision on whether to call National Guard troops to the Capitol. It is made up of the House Sergeant at Arms, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol. The board decided not to call the guard ahead of the insurrection but did eventually request assistance after the rioting had already begun, and the troops arrived several hours later. The House Sergeant at Arms reported to Pelosi and the Senate Sergeant at Arms reported to McConnell. There is no evidence that either Pelosi or McConnell directed the security officials not to call the guard beforehand. Drew Hammill, a then-spokesperson for Pelosi, said after the insurrection that Pelosi was never informed of such a request.” [Associated Press, 6/28/24]
Trump Said He Would Have Been “Very Well Received” By The Rioters That Stormed The Capitol On January 6 Had He Made The Trip. According to the Daily Beast, “In a taped interview for ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl’s book, Tired of Winning, former President Donald Trump said that if he had been allowed to go to the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, he would have been ‘very well received’ by those trying to thwart the democratic process. ‘I wanted to go back. I was thinking about going back during the problem to stop the problem, doing it myself. Secret Service didn’t like that idea too much,’ Trump said in the March 2021 interview, which CNN aired Thursday. ‘And I could’ve done that. And you know what? I would have been very well received.’ It took Trump, who stayed at the White House upon returning from his ‘Stop the Steal’ speech, more than three hours after his supporters first broke through the Capitol barricades to post a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, telling them to ‘go home.’” [Daily Beast, 11/16/23]
At Least Nine People Died In Connection With The Insurrection, Including At Least Five Police Officers. According to the New York Times, “As a pro-Trump protest turned into a violent attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year, four people in the crowd died. […] In the days and weeks after the riot, five police officers who had served at the Capitol on Jan. 6 died.” [New York Times, 1/5/22]
Trump Falsely Claimed That None Of The January 6 Rioters Brought Firearms With Them. According to NBC News, “Trump then falsely claimed that there were no guns used by Capitol rioters that day, except for the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt by law enforcement during the attack. ‘If it was an insurrection, which there were no guns, no anything except for the fact that they shot Ashli Babbitt. Somebody from police force shot Ashli Babbitt — so unnecessary, so sad, so horrible,” he said. “But there were no guns, there were no anything.’ Prosecutors have said that a number of Jan. 6 rioters had a gun on Jan. 6. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said that Trump acknowledged on the day of the attack that some of his supporters were armed. ‘I don’t f---ing care that they have weapons,’ he said, according to Hutchinson. ‘They’re not here to hurt me.’” [NBC News, 2/8/24]
May 2023: Trump Refused To Commit To Accepting The 2024 Election Results. According to Bloomberg, “As the town hall concluded, Trump, responding to a question from Collins, refused to commit to accepting the 2024 results if he’s the GOP nominee, saying he would only do it ‘if I think it’s an honest election.’” [Bloomberg, 5/11/23]
June 2024: Trump Refused To Explicitly Say He Would Accept The Results Of The Election. According to the BBC, “Donald Trump has refused to explicitly say whether he will accept the result of November's US presidential election. During his first debate with President Joe Biden on Thursday, Trump was asked three times whether he would accept the outcome ‘regardless of who wins", finally answering: “If it's a fair and legal and good election, absolutely.’ Trump lost his shot at a second presidential term to Mr Biden in the 2020 election. He has since consistently claimed that the vote was rigged against him, without providing any evidence. During Thursday night's debate, Trump repeated these claims, and played down his role in the 6 January riot on Capitol Hill.” [BBC, 6/28/24]
Trump Warned That The 2024 Election Would Be Rigged. According to the Wall Street Journal, “After making years of unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, Donald Trump is dialing up warnings that there could be an even bigger theft this time around, a tactic that threatens to complicate Republican turnout efforts. ‘Too Big to Rig.’ That is the phrase Trump began unveiling in recent weeks, including in an appearance in Greensboro, N.C. His campaign also has printed signs with the slogan to hand out to supporters. The idea behind the pitch is this: Trump needs a lead so large that no one can take it away. ‘We want a landslide,’ Trump said at the rally. ‘We have to win so that it’s too big to rig.’ The line has garnered energetic applause from the Trump faithful, but it presents messaging challenges for Republicans. Even as the former president says the voting process could be rigged, he is urging GOP supporters to participate in it anyway. Trump also needs to woo moderate and swing voters, yet they could be turned off by his drumbeat of election-fraud claims.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/20/24]
Trump Claimed That Democrats Were Using The Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act To Cheat In The 2024 Election. According to the Associated Press, “Donald Trump this week claimed without evidence that anyone living overseas can get a ballot mailed to them, even if they are not eligible to vote, falsely accusing Democrats of subverting a 1986 law to win in November. The former Republican president’s allegation focuses on the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA, which protects the rights of U.S. citizens living abroad, including members of the military and their families, to vote in federal elections by absentee ballot. UOCAVA was amended in 2009 by the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, or MOVE, which added more protections. Trump claimed that Democrats will ‘use UOCAVA to get ballots, a program that emails ballots overseas without any citizenship check or verification of identity, whatsoever’ and that ‘anyone can get a ballot emailed to them!’ Trump also suggested that this might indicate ‘foreign interference’ in the 2024 election. ‘The Democrats are talking about how they’re working so hard to get millions of votes from Americans living overseas,’ he posted Monday on his Truth Social platform. ‘Actually, they are getting ready to CHEAT!’” [Associated Press, 9/25/24]
Trump Said He Was Inclined To Pardon Many Of Those Convicted For Their Roles On January 6. According to the Associated Press, “He said he was inclined, if elected president again, to pardon many of those convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack. More than 1,000 people have been charged and more than 600 have been convicted so far.” [Associated Press, 5/11/23]
Trump Said, “Yes, Absolutely” He Would Consider Pardoning Every Single Person Involved In The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to Time, “The spectacle picks up where his first term left off. The events of Jan. 6, during which a pro-Trump mob attacked the center of American democracy in an effort to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, was a profound stain on his legacy. Trump has sought to recast an insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. ‘I call them the J-6 patriots,’ he says. When I ask whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says, ‘Yes, absolutely.’” [Time, 4/30/24]
FiveThirtyEight Headline: “More Than 70 Percent Of Trump’s Endorsees Believe The 2020 Election Was Fraudulent.” [FiveThirtyEight, 4/19/22]
As Of April 2022, More Than 70% Of Candidates Endorsed By Trump Have Been On The Record Saying The Election Was Stolen. According to FiveThirtyEight, “Of the 111 candidates he’s endorsed for governor, federal office, attorney general or secretary of state, at least 80 — more than 70 percent — believe that the 2020 election was fraudulent, according to our research. (To make our determinations, we checked whether Trump’s endorsees had, if members of Congress, voted against certifying the election results, and whether they had taken a public stance on the issue via news reports and their social media pages. Candidates who more generally raised questions about voter fraud or wanted to increase scrutiny of voting practices weren’t included in our totals.)” [FiveThirtyEight, 4/19/22]
AP: Trump’s Endorsement Strategy Was To “Install Allies Into Critical Roles In The States That May Be More Amenable To Helping Him Subvert Future Election Results.” According to the Associated Press, “As Trump considers another presidential run in 2024, he has taken similar interest in important but relatively obscure races in other critical battlegrounds, throwing his support behind candidates who have not only perpetuated the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, but in some cases also actively tried to overturn the results. The moves reflect Trump’s desire to exert influence on all levels of the Republican Party and install allies into critical roles in the states that may be more amenable to helping him subvert future election results.” [Associated Press, 9/20/21]
Trump Reportedly Wanted Prominent Election Deniers Michael Flynn And Jeffrey Clark In High Ranking Positions In A Second Trump Administration. According to Rolling Stone, “JEFFREY CLARK AND Michael Flynn were leading figures in Donald Trump’s efforts to carry out a coup d’etat in 2020 and 2021. The result was mob violence, deaths at the Capitol in Washington, DC, an array of criminal investigations and lawsuits, and what one former senior Trump aide went on the record to call ‘the worst day for the Republican Party since Lincoln’s assassination.’ […] The former president has privately noted on several occasions over the last several months how he’s seriously considering names like Michael Flynn and Jeffrey Clark for high-level positions in a potential second White House term. That’s according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, as well as another person briefed on it. The two worked hard to overturn the election with Flynn lobbying the president to institute martial law, and then-President Trump hoping to fire the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, and swap in the more agreeable Clark.” [Rolling Stone, 5/11/23]
At Least Six Guests At Trump’s 2024 Campaign Announcement Were In Washington On January 6, And Some Marched On The Capitol. According to Politico, “When Donald Trump plunged into the 2024 presidential race last week at his Mar-a-Lago club, he was surrounded by sidekicks, superfans and self-described sycophants. Among them was another subset of Trump world figures who look poised to help form the coalition behind his third presidential bid: those sympathetic to or even a part of the riot on the Capitol on January 6. A POLITICO review of social media posts of the Mar-a-Lago guests, as well as encounters at the venue, revealed at least six who were in Washington the day of Trump’s speech and the insurrection. Some of them marched on the Capitol and then posted pictures and videos of themselves on social media in the hours and days after.” [Politico, 11/22/22]
Trump Collaborated With The January 6 Rioters-Led “J6 Prison Choir” On The Song “Justice For All.” According to the Washington Post, “It’s no secret that Donald Trump has consistently sided with those in the mob that overran the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral win. The former president resisted hours of pleas to stop the rioters on the day of the attack, eventually told them they were loved and ‘very special,’ and has since vowed to issue pardons to Jan. 6 defendants if he is reelected. This week, Trump took his support for those who stormed the Capitol to another level, collaborating on a new song with a group of inmates imprisoned in Washington on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack. Trump and the prisoners — dubbed the ‘J6 Prison Choir’ — released ‘Justice for All’ on Thursday, a roughly 2 1/2-minute track that features the former president reciting the Pledge of Allegiance cut with the inmates singing the national anthem.” [Washington Post, 3/3/23]
Micki Larson-Olson, A QAnon Supporter Who Trump Hugged And Called “Terrific,” Called For Mike Pence And Every Member Of Congress Who Certified The 2020 Election To Be Executed. According to the Hill, “A woman who served time in prison for her involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection embraced former President Trump at a campaign rally in New Hampshire on Thursday before later saying that former Vice President Mike Pence and ‘every single’ member of Congress who certified the 2020 election should be executed. After QAnon supporter Micki Larson-Olson was pointed out to Trump as a ‘Jan. 6-er’ by the crowd at a packed diner, Trump sought her out, calling her ‘terrific,’ telling her to ‘hang in there’ and giving her a hug, video shows. Larson-Olson said in an NBC News interview the next day that Trump is the ‘real president’ and that she ‘would like a front seat of Mike Pence being executed.’” [The Hill. 4/28/23]
Larson-Olson Claimed That Every Single Person Who Committed Treason That Stole The Voice From “We The People” “Deserves Death.” According to the Hill, “‘The punishment for treason is death, per the Constitution,’ Larson-Olson said. ‘I believe every single person, every single person that stole a voice from our collective voice of ‘We the people, of the people, for the people, by the people,’ deserves death, and no less than that.’” [The Hill. 4/28/23]
Larson-Olson Previously Called The Police Officers That Arrested Her At The Capitol Traitors. According to the Hill, “During the Capitol riot, she wore a Captain America costume, waving flags and resisting efforts from Capitol Police to remove her from the scaffolding, hanging onto it with her arms and legs. It took six officers to restrain her, with the release saying she screamed and fought the officers as she was apprehended. She also called the officers ‘traitors,’ the Justice Department said.” [The Hill. 4/28/23]
Larson-Olson Spent Six Months In Jail After Climbing The Scaffolding Outside The Capitol On January 6. According to the Hill, “Larson-Olson was arrested after climbing scaffolding on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the Justice Department. She was sentenced to six months in jail in September. During the Capitol riot, she wore a Captain America costume, waving flags and resisting efforts from Capitol Police to remove her from the scaffolding, hanging onto it with her arms and legs. It took six officers to restrain her, with the release saying she screamed and fought the officers as she was apprehended.” [The Hill. 4/28/23]
Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club Hosted Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, A Convicted Jan. 6 Rioter And Alleged Nazi Sympathizer, Twice During The Summer Of 2024, Where He Was Celebrated And Gave Speeches. According to Raw Story, “A convicted Jan. 6 rioter and Nazi sympathizer was honored with an award last month at former President Donald Trump's golf club in New Jersey, according to a new report. Timothy Hale-Cusanelli was a special guest at the Eagle Council conference that was held in Bedminster, NPR investigative reporter Tom Dreisbach has discovered. ‘Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club hosted a convicted Jan. 6 rioter and alleged Nazi sympathizer twice this summer, where he was celebrated and gave speeches,’ Dreisbach wrote. ‘At one event, Trump sent a video praising the attendees as 'amazing patriots.' At the other, he won an award.’” [Raw Story, 9/12/24]
Trump Video Message To Imprisoned Insurrectionists Said They Were Being “Tormented” And Treated “Very, Very Unfairly.” According to the Daily Mail, “Former President Donald Trump said in a video message Thursday that those imprisoned for January 6 crimes were being 'tormented' and treated 'very, very unfairly,' and he would 'get to the bottom of it' during his 2024 White House run.” [Daily Mail, 12/2/22]
Trump Called For The Release Of January 6 Insurrection Prisoners Based Off Of Newly Released Surveillance Footage. According to the New York Post, “Former President Donald Trump called Tuesday for the release of everyone arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot after the release of never-before-seen surveillance footage from that day. ‘Let the January 6 prisoners go. They were convicted, or are awaiting trial, based on a giant lie, a radical left con job,’ Trump, 76, raged on his Truth Social platform. ‘New video footage is irrefutable.’ Included in the clips that aired on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Monday was footage of two Capitol Police officers appearing to escort Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon Shaman,” through the halls outside the Senate chamber.” [New York Post, 3/7/23]
Trump Called Those Arrested For Attacking The Capitol On January 6 “Hostages.” According to The Hill, “Former President Trump on Thursday referred to those jailed over their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol as ‘hostages’ during a rally with supporters in Texas. Trump walked on stage at a Houston rally to Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’ as he typically does. But when it concluded, a song in which Trump collaborated with a chorus of inmates detained on charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection began to play, and the former president stood saluting. ‘Well, thank you very much, and you know what that was,’ he said to open the rally. ‘I call them the ‘J-6 hostages,’ not prisoners. I call them the hostages, what’s happened. And you know, it’s a shame.’” [The Hill, 11/2/23]
Trump Blasted The Justice Department And The FBI For “Destroying The Lives Of So Many Great American Patriots.” According to the Washington Post, “A day after federal prosecutors won their latest high-profile cases against leaders of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, former president Donald Trump lashed out in a social media post at the Justice Department, claiming it and the FBI are ‘destroying the lives of so many Great American Patriots.’ ‘Back in the USA, but sadly I see so many really bad things happening to our Country,’ Trump, who broke ground earlier this week on a golf course in Scotland, wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. ‘The DOJ and FBI are destroying the lives of so many Great American Patriots, right before our very eyes,’ he wrote. ‘The Court System is a RUBBER STAMP for their conviction and imprisonment. All this while the Radical Left protects and coddles extremists and murderers at a level, and with intensity, never seen before. GET SMART AMERICA, THEY ARE COMING AFTER YOU!!!’” [Washington Post, 5/5/23]
Save America PAC Paid The Legal Bills Of Kash Patel And Walt Nauta
Save America PAC Paid The Legal Bills For DOJ January 6th Witnesses Including Kash Patel And Walt Nauta. According to the Washington Post, “Former president Donald Trump’s political action committee is paying legal bills for some key witnesses involved in the Justice Department investigation into whether Trump mishandled classified documents, obstructed the investigation or destroyed government records, according to people familiar with the matter. The witnesses include Kash Patel, who has testified in front of the grand jury and is key to Trump’s defense, along with Walt Nauta, a potentially critical prosecution witness, according to these people, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal probe. Nauta, a Trump valet, has told FBI agents he was instructed by the former president to move boxes at Mar-a-Lago, even as government investigators were trying to recover classified documents at that private club and residence, according to people familiar with the matter. Both Patel and Nauta are represented by Brand Woodward Law, which according to public records has been paid more than $120,000 by Trump’s Save America PAC. Stan Brand, the top lawyer at the firm, said there is nothing improper about the PAC paying legal bills for witnesses in the investigation. Another lawyer not involved in the case, however, said it could encourage witnesses to not cooperate.” [Washington Post, 12/5/22]
Patel And Nauta Were Represented By Brand Woodward Law, Which Cost Save America PAC $120,000 In Legal Bills. According to the Washington Post, “Former president Donald Trump’s political action committee is paying legal bills for some key witnesses involved in the Justice Department investigation into whether Trump mishandled classified documents, obstructed the investigation or destroyed government records, according to people familiar with the matter. The witnesses include Kash Patel, who has testified in front of the grand jury and is key to Trump’s defense, along with Walt Nauta, a potentially critical prosecution witness, according to these people, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal probe. Nauta, a Trump valet, has told FBI agents he was instructed by the former president to move boxes at Mar-a-Lago, even as government investigators were trying to recover classified documents at that private club and residence, according to people familiar with the matter. Both Patel and Nauta are represented by Brand Woodward Law, which according to public records has been paid more than $120,000 by Trump’s Save America PAC. Stan Brand, the top lawyer at the firm, said there is nothing improper about the PAC paying legal bills for witnesses in the investigation. Another lawyer not involved in the case, however, said it could encourage witnesses to not cooperate.” [Washington Post, 12/5/22]
Dan Scavino Was Also Represented By Brand Woodward
Brand Woodward Represented Dan Scavino. According to the Washington Post, “Other witnesses represented by Brand Woodward whose legal bills are being paid by Trump’s PAC include Trump’s longtime adviser Dan Scavino and at least one other personal aide who has testified in front of the grand jury, the people familiar with the matter said.” [Washington Post, 12/5/22]
Save America PAC Paid For Will Russell And Beau Harrison To Be Represented
Save America PAC Paid For Brand Woodward To Represent Will Russell And Beau Harrison. According to CNN, “Another source familiar with the matter tells CNN that other key players in Trump’s orbit who are being represented by Brand Woodward include Will Russell and Beau Harrison. Save America has helped to cover some of their legal bills as well, another source said. Last week, Russell and Harrison each appeared in front of a grand jury investigating the Mar-a-Lago document matter, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Their attorney declined to comment at the time. The firm declined to comment to CNN about the payments, which were first reported by The Washington Post. Stan Brand, a top lawyer at the firm, told the Post there is nothing wrong with Trump’s PAC paying legal bills for witnesses.” [CNN, 12/6/22]
Russell And Harrison Appeared Before A Grand Jury On The Mar-A-Lago Classified Documents Investigation. According to CNN, “Another source familiar with the matter tells CNN that other key players in Trump’s orbit who are being represented by Brand Woodward include Will Russell and Beau Harrison. Save America has helped to cover some of their legal bills as well, another source said. Last week, Russell and Harrison each appeared in front of a grand jury investigating the Mar-a-Lago document matter, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Their attorney declined to comment at the time. The firm declined to comment to CNN about the payments, which were first reported by The Washington Post. Stan Brand, a top lawyer at the firm, told the Post there is nothing wrong with Trump’s PAC paying legal bills for witnesses.” [CNN, 12/6/22]
Trump Spoke At Fundraiser For January 6 Defendants. According to NBC News, “Former President Trump spoke on Thursday at a fundraiser on behalf of people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol — even as he faces scrutiny from national and state prosecutors for his own actions surrounding the attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.” [NBC News, 6/23/23]
The Fundraiser For The Patriot Freedom Project Was Held At His Golf Club In Bedminster. According to NBC News, “‘I’m going to make a contribution,’ Trump told the gathering hosted at his own private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The group, Patriot Freedom Project, included at least one actual defendant along with multiple family members of those charged in the attack.” [NBC News, 6/23/23]
After Trump And The RNC Effectively Merged Operations, Current And Potential Staffers At The Republican National Committee Were Asked If They Believed The 2020 Election Was Stolen. According to CNN, “Current and potential staffers at the Republican National Committee have been asked in recent job interviews whether they believe the 2020 election was stolen, according to two sources familiar with the questioning. Over the past few weeks, Trump advisers have asked current and potential RNC employees about their views of fraud during the 2020 election, with the question serving as an apparent litmus test for hiring, the sources said. Use of the question comes after the Trump campaign has effectively merged its operations with the RNC. The Washington Post first reported the substance of the interview questions. A key focus for the Trump campaign, and newly-elected leadership at the RNC, ahead of the 2024 election is election fraud. Much of that focus stems from former President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with how the RNC handled claims of election fraud around the 2020 election, multiple sources familiar with the matter said. There is no evidence of widespread election fraud in the last presidential contest. ‘Candidates who worked on the front line in battleground states or are currently in states where fraud allegations have been prevalent were asked about their work experience. We want experienced staff with meaningful views on how elections are won and lost and real experience-based opinions about what happens in the trenches,’ RNC spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez told CNN.” [CNN, 3/26/24]
Seven States Sent Fake Electors To The 2024 Republican National Convention As Delegates. According to Raw Story, “A new report that shows so-called ‘fake electors’ will head to the Republican National Convention as delegates sparked outrage on social media Wednesday as critics collectively asked, ‘Do you have no shame?’ Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin — nearly all of which are considered swing states — have all sent ‘fake electors’ and others who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election to represent their state parties at the convention, slated to begin Monday in Milwaukee. That's according to CNN, which said it obtained state party-published lists and other documents.” [Raw Story, 7/10/24]
Five Delegates Were Charged For Their Role In The Various Fake Elector Schemes. According to Raw Story, “This year, Arizona's delegation includes three fake electors, including state Sen. Jake Hoffman who pleaded not guilty to his role in the scheme and was elected to be a GOP National Committee member. In Georgia, a Jan. 6 rally organizer was selected for the committee, while four people facing prosecution in Michigan will head to Milwaukee as part of the GOP delegation, according to the report. That includes Meshawn Maddock, who has also pleaded not guilty to charges in the scheme.” [Raw Story, 7/10/24]
The Colorado Supreme Court Ruled That Trump Was Disqualified From The Presidency For His Role In January 6. According to CBS News, “The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency under the Constitution's so-called insurrection clause and ordered the secretary of state to exclude his name from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot.” [CBS News, 12/20/23]
Maine’s Secretary Of State Ruled Trump Was Disqualified From The Ballot For His Role On The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to the New York Times, “Maine on Thursday became the second state to bar Donald J. Trump from its primary election ballot after its top election official ruled that the former president’s efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election rendered him ineligible to hold office again. Hours later, her counterpart in California announced that Mr. Trump would remain on the ballot in the nation’s most populous state, where election officials have limited power to remove candidates. The official in Maine, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, wrote in her decision that Mr. Trump did not qualify for the ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. A handful of citizens had challenged his eligibility by claiming that he had incited an insurrection and was thus barred from seeking the presidency again under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. ‘I am mindful that no secretary of state has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection,’ Ms. Bellows, a Democrat, wrote.” [New York Times, 12/28/23]
A Cook County Judge Ruled That Trump’s Name Be Struck From The Primary Ballot In Illinois. According to the Associated Press, “A Cook County judge ruled the Illinois State Board of Elections must take former President Donald Trump’s name off the state’s March 19 primary ballot Wednesday. But she placed her order on hold until Friday to allow an appeal. Judge Tracie Porter issued her decision after a group of voters trying to remove Trump’s name from the primary ballot over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol sued to counter the election board’s unanimous rejection of its effort. The five voters argued Trump is ineligible to hold office because he encouraged and did little to stop the Capitol riot.” [Associated Press, 2/28/24]
Count One: Trump Was Charged With Conspiracy To Defraud The United States For The Purposes Of Overturning The Results Of The 2020 Election. According to the indictment in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, “COUNT ONE (Conspiracy to Defraud the United States 18 U.S.C. 371) The allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 4 of this Indictment are re-alleged and fully incorporated here by reference. The Conspiracy 6. From on or about November 14, 2020, through on or about January 20, 2021, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, the Defendant, Donald J. Trump, did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud, and deceit to impair, obstruct, and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified by the federal government. Purpose of the Conspiracy 7. The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the federal government function by which those results are collected, counted, and certified.” [Indictment, “United States of America v. Donald J. Trump” United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:23-cr-00257-TSC, filed 8/1/23]
Six Co-Conspirators Were Identified. According to the indictment in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, “The Defendant's Co- Conspirators DONALD J. TRUMP, 8. The Defendant enlisted co-conspirators to assist him in his criminal efforts to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and retain power. Among these were: a. Co-Conspirator 1, an attorney who was willing to spread knowingly false claims and pursue strategies that the Defendant's 2020 re-election campaign attorneys would not. b. Co-Conspirator 2, an attorney who devised and attempted to implement a strategy to leverage the Vice President's ceremonial role overseeing the certification proceeding to obstruct the certification of the presidential election. c. Co- Conspirator 3, an attorney whose unfounded claims of election fraud the Defendant privately acknowledged to others sounded crazy. Nonetheless, the Defendant embraced and publicly amplified Co-Conspirator 3's disinformation. d. Co-Conspirator 4, a Justice Department official who worked on civil matters and who, with the Defendant, attempted to use the Justice Department to open sham election crime investigations and influence state legislatures with knowingly false claims of election fraud. e. Co- Conspirator 5, an attorney who assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding. f. Co-Conspirator 6, a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding.” [Indictment, “United States of America v. Donald J. Trump” United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:23-cr-00257-TSC, filed 8/1/23]
Politico Identified Trump’s Six Co-Conspirators As: 1. Rudy Giuliani, 2. John Eastman, 3. Sidney Powell, 4. Jeffrey Clark, And 5. Ken Chesebro. According to Politico, “Six co-conspirators The indictment does not identify any of the six alleged co-conspirators who prosecutors say unlawfully agreed to aid Trump’s bid to subvert the election. But five of them were readily identifiable based on the widely known details in the indictment. They are: Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer and the leader of an effort to pressure state legislators to reverse election results. John Eastman, a constitutional lawyer who helped develop the strategy to pressure Mike Pence to overturn the election on Jan. 6. Sidney Powell, a conservative lawyer who pushed fringe theories about manipulation of voting machines. Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department lawyer who pressed DOJ leaders to sow doubt about the election results. Ken Chesebro, an architect of key elements of Trump’s fake elector strategy.” [Politico, 8/1/23]
Email Evidence Suggested That The Sixth Co-Conspirator Could Have Been Boris Epshteyn. According to the New York Times, “Co-conspirator 6 was more of a mystery. Identified by the indictment as ‘a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding,’ the person could have been a number of figures in Mr. Trump’s orbit. But a close look at the indictment and a review of messages among people working with Mr. Trump’s team provides a strong clue. An email from December 2020 from Boris Epshteyn, a strategic adviser to the Trump campaign in 2020, to Mr. Giuliani matches a description in the indictment of an interaction between co-conspirator 6 and Mr. Giuliani, whose lawyer has confirmed that he is co-conspirator 1.” [New York Times, 8/2/23]
The Indictment Alleged That Trump Knew His Claims About Election, Specifically In Arizona And Georgia, Were False. According to ABC News, “The indictment alleges that Trump knew that the claims he advanced about the election, specifically in Arizona and Georgia, were false -- yet he repeated them for months.” [ABC News, 8/1/23]
The Maximum Sentence For Conspiracy To Defraud Was Five Years In Prison. According to Business Insider, “Indeed, the January 6 committee said in a court filing last year that it had evidence Trump and his allies ‘entered into an agreement’ to defraud the US by interfering with Congress' election-certification process, ‘disseminating false information about election fraud, and pressuring state officials to alter state election results and federal officials to assist in that effort.’ If convicted of this charge, Trump could face a maximum of 5 years in prison, Rahmani said.” [Business Insider, 8/1/23]
Count Two Was Conspiracy To Obstruct An Official Proceeding. According to the indictment in United States v. Donald J. Trump, “COUNT TWO (Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding-18 U.S.C. § 1512(k)) 125. The allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 4 and 8 through 123 of this Indictment are re-alleged and fully incorporated here by reference. 126. From on or about November 14, 2020, through on or about January 7, 2021, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, the Defendant, DONALD J. TRUMP, did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to corruptly obstruct and impede an official proceeding, that is, the certification of the electoral vote, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(c)(2). (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(k)).” [Indictment, “United States v. Donald J. Trump,” United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:23-cr-00257-TSC, filed 8/1/23]
The Maximum Sentence For Obstruction of An Official Proceeding Was 20 Years In Prison. According to Business Insider, “Obstruction of an official proceeding is among the most widely used charges federal prosecutors have brought against other defendants related to the Capitol riot. The January 6 committee also said last year that several judges ‘concluded that Congress's proceeding to count the electoral votes on January 6th was an 'official proceeding' for purposes of this section, and each has refused to dismiss charges against defendants under that section.’ The maximum prison sentence if Trump is convicted of this charge is 20 years.” [Business Insider, 8/1/23]
Count Three Was Obstruction Of And Attempt To Obstruct An Official Proceeding. According to the indictment in United States v. Donald J. Trump, “COUNT THREE (Obstruction of, and Attempt to Obstruct, an Official Proceeding-18 U.S.C. §§ 1512(c)(2), 2) 127. The allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 4 and 8 through 123 of this Indictment are re-alleged and fully incorporated here by reference. 128. From on or about November 14, 2020, through on or about January 7, 2021, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, the Defendant, DONALD J. TRUMP, attempted to, and did, corruptly obstruct and impede an official proceeding, that is, the certification of the electoral vote. (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1512(c)(2), 2).” [Indictment, “United States v. Donald J. Trump,” United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:23-cr-00257-TSC, filed 8/1/23]
The Maximum Sentence For Conspiracy To Obstruct An Official Proceeding Was 20 Years In Prison. According to Business Insider, “Prosecutors used the same evidence laid out in the first conspiracy charge to make its case here. The conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding charge relates directly to the government's accusation that Trump conspired to obstruct the congressional certification of President Joe Biden's November 2020 win. The charge carried a possible prison sentence of 20 years, The Washington Post reported.” [Business Insider, 8/1/23]
Count Four Was Conspiracy Against Rights. According to the indictment in United States v. Donald J. Trump, “COUNT FOUR (Conspiracy Against Rights-18 U.S.C. § 241) 129. The allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 4 and 8 through 123 of this Indictment are re-alleged and fully incorporated here by reference. 130. From on or about November 14, 2020, through on or about January 20, 2021, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, the Defendant, DONALD J. TRUMP, did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate one or more persons in the free exercise and enjoyment of a right and privilege secured to them by the Constitution and laws of the United States-that is, the right to vote, and to have one's vote counted. (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 241).” [Indictment, “United States v. Donald J. Trump,” United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:23-cr-00257-TSC, filed 8/1/23]
The Maximum Sentence For Conspiracy Against Rights Was 10 Years In Prison. According to Business Insider, “Trump was widely expected to be charged with conspiracy to defraud the US and obstruction of an official proceeding. But legal experts were surprised when it initially surfaced that Smith's office was also considering charging Trump with conspiracy against rights. The Reconstruction-era law was originally passed to stop members of the Ku Klux Klan from terrorizing formerly enslaved people trying to exercise their constitutional rights. But it's been applied more broadly in the modern day, and in Trump's case, prosecutors want to use it in alleging that the former president tried to tamper with the 2020 election results in battleground states. If convicted of this charge, Trump could face a fine or prison time of up to 10 years, Rahmani said.” [Business Insider, 8/1/23]
August 2024: Trump Was Reindicted On Four Felony Counts Related To His Efforts To Overturn The 2020 Election. According to Politico, “A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. has reindicted Donald Trump on four felony charges related to his effort to subvert the 2020 presidential election. The 36-page indictment, secured Tuesday by special counsel Jack Smith, is an attempt by prosecutors to streamline the case against Trump to address the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that concluded presidents enjoy sweeping immunity from prosecution for their official conduct.” [Politico, 8/27/24]
The Superseding Indictment Eliminated References To Government Officials And Emphasized Trump’s Personal Conduct To Highlight Trump Acting As A Candidate And Not As President. According to Politico, “In an apparent bid to downplay any connection between Trump’s official duties and his bid to overturn Joe Biden’s victory, the new indictment repeatedly emphasizes the political and personal nature of many of the actions Trump took during the post-election period and on Jan. 6, 2021. For instance, the document underscores that Mike Pence was not only vice president, but also Trump’s ‘running mate,’ when Trump pressured Pence to block the certification of the election results. It notes that Trump’s rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, was ‘privately funded’ and ‘privately organized.’ And it stresses that Trump often used his Twitter account for ‘personal purposes.’ The new document also eliminates a long list of top government officials who had informed Trump that his claims about election fraud and anomalies were false, including top intelligence, Justice Department, homeland security officials and White House lawyers.” [Politico, 8/27/24]
December 19, 2022: The House January 6 Committee Issued Four Criminal Referrals Of Trump To The Department Of Justice. According to the Associated Press, “The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president and ‘a time of reflection and reckoning.’ After one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes in memory, the panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans are recommending criminal charges against Trump and associates who helped him launch a wide-ranging pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election loss. The panel also released a lengthy summary of its final report, with findings that Trump engaged in a ‘multi-part conspiracy’ to thwart the will of voters. At a final meeting Monday, the committee alleged violations of four criminal statutes by Trump, in both the run-up to the riot and during the insurrection itself, as it recommended the former president for prosecution to the Justice Department.” [Associated Press, 12/19/22]
December 22, 2022: The January 6 Committee Released Their Report Which Recommended Trump Be Barred From Federal Office. According to NPR, “After roughly 18 months of investigations, the House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has released their full report. The document, which is more than 800 pages long, recommends the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in the attack. And they say Congress should act to bar Trump, and others involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, from ever holding federal office again.” [NPR, 12/23/22]
Trump Was Charged With 13 Felonies For His Efforts To Overturn Georgia’s Election Results. According to the Washington Post, “Former president Donald Trump and 18 others were criminally charged in Georgia in connection with efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, according to an indictment made public late Monday night. Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating the state’s racketeering act, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents.” [Washington Post, 8/15/23]
Charges Against Trump Included RICO, Soliciting A Public Officer To Violate Their Oath, Conspiring To Impersonate A Public Official, Conspiring To Commit Forgery, And Conspiring To File False Documents. According to the Washington Post, “Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating the state’s racketeering act, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents.” [Washington Post, 8/15/23]
Trump Was Charged On Counts 1, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 27, 28, 29, 38, And 39 In The Indictment. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “THE STATE OF GEORGIA V. DONALD JOHN TRUMP Counts 1,5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 27-29, 38-39.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump And 18 Others Were Charged With Violating Georgia’s RICO Act. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “The Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do hereby charge and accuse: DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, MARK RANDALL MEADOWS, KENNETH JOHN CI-IESEBRO, JEFFREY BOSSERT CLARK, JENNA LYNN ELLIS, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, MICHAEL A. ROMAN, DAVID JAMES SHAFER, SHAWN MICAH TRESI-IER STILL, STEPHEN CLIFFGARD LEE, HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD, TREVIAN C. KUTTI, SIDNEY KATHERINE POWELL, CATHLEEN ALSTON LATHAM, SCOTT GRAHAM HALL, and MISTY HAMPTON with the offense of VIOLATION OF THE GEORGIA RICO (RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS) ACT, O.C.G.A. 16-14-4(c), for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with unindicted co-conspirators, in the State of Georgia and County of Fulton, on and between the 4th day of November 2020 and the 15th day of September 2022, while associated with an enterprise, unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in, directly and indirectly, such enterprise through pattern of racketeering activity in violation of O.C.G.A. 16-14-4(b), as described below and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace, and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
The Maximum Sentence For Violating The RICO Act Is 20 Years In Prison. According to the Washington Post, “You’ll see it referred to as RICO. It allows prosecutors to combine several alleged crimes — in this case, conspiracy to defraud the state, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, computer theft and dozens of others — into one racketeering charge that calls for up to 20 years in prison.” [Washington Post, 8/14/23]
Trump Was Charged For Trying To Convince Georgia House Speaker Ralston To Call A Special Session To Appoint Trump Electors. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP with the offense of SOLICITATION OF VIOLATION OF OATH BY PUBLIC OFFICER, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-7 16-10-1, for the said accused, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 7th day of December 2020, unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston, public officer, to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, O.C.G.A. 16-10-1, by calling for special session of the Georgia General Assembly for the purpose of unlawfully appointing presidential electors from the State of Georgia, in willful and intentional Violation of the terms of the oath of said person as prescribed by law, with intent that said person engage in said conduct, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump, Among Others, Was Charged With Conspiring To Make The Fake Electors Present Themselves As The Legitimate Electors From Georgia. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT IMPERSONATING PUBLIC OFFICER, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 16-10-23, for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on and between the 6th day of December 2020 and the 14th day of December 2020, unlawfully conspired to cause certain individuals to falsely hold themselves out as the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from the State of Georgia, public officers, with intent to mislead the President of the United States Senate, the Archivist of the United States, the Georgia Secretary of State, and the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia into believing that they actually were such officers.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump, Among Others, Was Charged With Conspiracy To Make A False Electoral Certificate To Present To The National Archivist. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 16-91(b), for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on and between the 6th day of December 2020 and the 14th day of December 2020, unlawfully conspired, with the intent to defraud, to knowingly make document titled ‘CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA,’ writing other than check, in such manner that the writing as made purports to have been made by authority of the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from the State of Georgia, who did not give such authority, and to utter and deliver said document to the Archivist of the United States.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump, Among Others, Was Charged With Conspiracy To Claim That The Fake Electors Were The Elected And Qualified Electors From Georgia. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, O.C.G.A. §§ 16 4-8 16-10-20, for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on and between the 6th day of December 2020 and the 14th day of December 2020, unlawfully conspired to knowingly and willfully make and use false document titled ‘CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA,’ with knowledge that said document contained the false statement, ‘WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, being the duly elected and qualified Electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America from the State of Georgia, do hereby certify the following,’ said document being within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Office of the Governor of Georgia, departments and agencies of state government.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump, Among Others, Was Charged With Conspired To File The Fake Certificate From The Fake Electors In An Official Proceeding. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FILING FALSE DOCUMENTS, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-48 16- 10-20.1(b)(1), for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on and between the 6th day of December 2020 and the 14th day of December 2020, unlawfully conspired to knowingly file, enter, and record document titled ‘CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA,’ in court of the United States, having reason to know that said document contained the materially false statement, ‘WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, being the duly elected and qualified Electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America from the State of Georgia, do hereby certify the following.’” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump, Among Others, Was Charged With Conspiracy To Claim That They Were Filling An Electoral College Vacancy In Georgia Without Authority To Do So. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 16-9-1(b), for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on and between the 6th day of December 2020 and the 14th day of December 2020, unlawfully conspired, with the intent to defraud, to knowingly make document titled ‘RE: Notice of Filling of Electoral College Vacancy,’ writing other than check, in such manner that the writing as made purports to have been made by the authority of the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from the State of Georgia, who did not give such authority, and to utter and deliver said document to the Archivist of the United States and the Office of the Governor of Georgia.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump, Among Others, Was Charged With Conspiracy To Use The Fake Certificate Knowing That The Certificate Made False Statements Because The Electors Proclaimed In The Certificate Were Fake. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, O.C.G.A. §§ 16- 4-8 16-10-20, for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on and between the 6th day of December 2020 and the 14th day of December 2020, unlawfully conspired to knowingly and willfully make and use false document titled ‘RE: Notice of Filling of Electoral College Vacancy,’ with knowledge that said document contained the false statements that DAVID JAMES SHAFER was Chairman of the 2020 Georgia Electoral College Meeting and SHAWN MICAH TRESHER STILL was Secretary of the 2020 Georgia Electoral College Meeting, said document being within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Office of the Governor of Georgia, departments and agencies of state government.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump And Trump Lawyer Eastman Were Charged With Filing A Court Document Containing False Election Fraud Claims. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP and JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN with the offense of FILING FALSE DOCUMENTS, O.C.G.A. 16-10-20.1(b)(1), for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 3lst day of December 2020, knowingly and unlawfully filed document titled ‘VERIFIED COMPLAINT FOR EMERGENCY INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF’ in the matter of Trump v. Kemp, Case 1:20-cv05310MHC, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, court of the United States, having reason to know that said document contained at least one of the following materially false statements: l. That ‘as many as 2,506 felons with an uncompleted sentence’ voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; That ‘at least 66,247 underage’ people voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; That ‘at least 2,423 individuals’ voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia ‘who were not listed in the State's records as having been registered to vote’; That ‘at least 1,043 individuals’ voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election ‘who had illegally registered to vote using postal office box as their habitation’; That ‘as many as 10,315 or more’ dead people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; That ‘[d]eliberate misinformation was used to instruct Republican poll watchers and members of the press to leave the premises for the night at approximately 10:00 pm. on November 3, 2020’ at State Farm Arena in Fulton County, Georgia; contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump And Chief Of Staff Meadows Were Charged With Trying To Convince Georgia Secretary Of State Raffensperger To Violate His Oath. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP and MARK RANDALL MEADOWS with the offense of SOLICITATION OF VIOLATION OF OATH BY PUBLIC OFFICER, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-7 16-10-1, for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of crime, and together with unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 2nd day of January 2021, unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, public officer, to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, O.C.G.A. l6- 10-1, by unlawfully altering, unlawfully adjusting, and otherwise unlawfully influencing the certified returns for presidential electors for the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia, in willful and intentional violation of the terms of the oath of said person as prescribed by law, with intent that said person engage in said conduct, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump Was Charged With Making False Statements About The Election On The Phone Call With Raffensperger. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP with the offense of FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, O.C.G.A. 16-10-20, for the said accused, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 2nd day of January 2021, knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully made at least one of the following false statements and representations to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs, and Georgia Secretary of State General Counsel Ryan Germany: 1. That anywhere from 250,000 to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 2. That thousands of people attempted to vote in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia and were told they could not because ballot had already been cast in their name; 3. That 4,502 people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia who were not on the voter registration list; 4. That 904 people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia who were registered at an address that was post office box; 5. That Ruby Freeman was professional vote scammer and known political operative; 6. That Ruby Freeman, her daughter, and others were responsible for fraudulently awarding
at least 18,000 ballots to Joseph R. Biden at State Farm Arena in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 7. That close to 5,000 dead people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 8. That 139% of people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Detroit; 9. That 200,000 more votes were recorded than the number of people who voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Pennsylvania; 10. That thousands of dead people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Michigan; 11. That Ruby Freeman stuffed the ballot boxes; 12. That hundreds of thousands of ballots had been ‘dumped’ into Fulton County and another county adjacent to Fulton County in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 13. That he won the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia by 400,000 votes; said statements being within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, departments and agencies of state government, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump Was Charged With Soliciting Raffensperger To Violate His Oath By “Decertifying The Election” Months After The Election Was Certified. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP with the offense of SOLICITATION OF VIOLATION OF OATH BY PUBLIC OFFICER, O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-7 and 16-10-1, for the said accused, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 17th day of September 2021, unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, public officer, to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Ofiicer, O.C.G.A. 16-101, by unlawfully ‘decertifying the Election, or whatever the correct legal remedy is, and announce the true winner,’ in willful and intentional violation of the terms of the oath of said person as prescribed by law, with intent that said person engage in said conduct, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Trump Was Charged With Lying To Raffensperger About The 2020 Election When Asking Him To Decertify The Election In September 2021. According to the indictment in The State Of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al., “And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP with the offense of FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, O.C.G.A. 16-10-20, for the said accused, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 17th day of September 2021, knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully made the following false statement and representation to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: l. ‘As stated to you previously, the number of false and/or irregular votes is far greater than needed to change the Georgia election result’; said statement being within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, departments and agencies of state government, and county and city law enforcement agencies, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.” [Indictment, “The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et al.,” Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, filed 8/14/23]
Three Of Trump’s 13 Felony Counts Were Later Thrown Out Due To Lack Of Specificity. According to Politico, “The state judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal case in Georgia has thrown out six of the indictment’s 41 charges, ruling that the state had failed to make specific enough allegations to support them. The ruling affects three of the 13 felony counts Trump faces in the case, though not the central charge of a racketeering conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Several of the dismissed counts do not involve Trump but instead apply to some of his most prominent co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows.” [Politico, 3/13/24]
Judge McAfee Said The Charges Could Be Refiled With Greater Detail. According to Politico, “Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee emphasized that prosecutors may refile the charges with greater detail or appeal his ruling. However, McAfee found that as written, the allegations that Donald Trump and several allies solicited Georgia officials to violate their oaths of office — in part by sending false electors to Congress — were too generic. ‘The lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is … fatal,’ McAfee wrote.” [Politico, 3/13/24]
September 2024: Three Counts, Including Two That Trump Was Charged With, Were Stricken From The Georgia RICO Indictment. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Thursday struck three additional counts from the year-old indictment that alleged former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen others were involved in a felony conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. McAfee concluded the criminal conduct described in the felony counts, which all involve alleged false statements made to a federal court, ‘lie beyond this state’s jurisdiction’ under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and must be removed. Trump was originally charged with two of those counts.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/12/24]
February 16, 2021: Representative Bennie Thompson Sued Trump Over Inciting The January 6th Attack On The Capitol. According to the Associated Press, “A Democratic congressman accused Donald Trump in a federal lawsuit on Tuesday of inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and of conspiring with his lawyer and extremist groups to try to prevent the Senate from certifying the results of the presidential election he lost to Joe Biden. The lawsuit from Mississippi's Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is part of an expected wave of litigation over the Jan. 6 riot and is believed to be the first filed by a member of Congress. It seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. The case also names as defendants the Republican former president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and groups including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, extremist organizations that had members charged by the Justice Department with taking part in the siege.” [Associated Press, 2/26/21]
March 5, 2021: Representative Eric Swalwell Sued Trump For Violating Civil Rights Laws By Inciting The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to NBC News, “A Democratic congressman who helped argue the House impeachment case against former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against him in federal court Friday, seeking to turn those allegations into a civil case. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, accused Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Rudolph Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., of violating federal civil rights laws and local incitement laws. All spoke at a rally near the White House on January 6 before members of the crowd moved on to the Capitol.” [NBC News, 3/5/21]
March 31, 2021: Two Capitol Police Officers, James Blassingame And Sidney Hemby, Sued Trump For Inciting The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to NPR, “Two U.S. Capitol police officers are suing former President Donald Trump, for allegedly inciting the riots that took over the Capitol building Jan. 6. Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby argue in court documents reviewed by NPR that Trump is responsible for the physical and emotional injuries the officers received following the violent riots at the Capitol. The insurrection resulted in the death of five people. The lawsuit details the violence Blassingame and Hemby faced during the Jan. 6 attack, as well as the physical and emotional toll they continue to deal with. Lawyers for the officers argue Trump's repeated false claims over several months that the 2020 presidential election could be stolen or was eventually ‘rigged’ motivated the eventual insurrectionists. Trump ‘inflamed, encouraged, incited, directed, and aided and abetted’ the ‘insurrectionist mob’ to force its way into the Capitol building to stop the certification of the election on Jan. 6. The mob ‘forced its way over and past the plaintiffs and their fellow officers, pursuing and attacking them inside and outside the United States Capitol, and causing the injuries.’” [NPR, 3/31/21]
August 26, 2021: Seven U.S. Capitol Police Officers Sued Trump Over The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to CNN, “Seven US Capitol Police officers are suing former President Donald Trump, Stop the Steal rally organizers and members of far-right extremist groups, accusing them of spreading lies, using White supremacist sentiments to attempt to overthrow the 2020 election, and ultimately bearing responsibility for the riot that injured more than 140 officers on January 6. ‘Plaintiffs and their fellow law enforcement officers risked their lives to defend the Capitol from a violent, mass attack — an attack provoked, aided, and joined by Defendants in an unlawful effort to use force, intimidation, and threats to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 Presidential election,’ says the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in US District Court for the District of Columbia.” [CNN, 8/26/21]
January 5, 2022: Three Police Officers Filed Two Lawsuits Against Trump Alleging Wrongful Conduct In Inciting A Riot On January 6. According to CBS News, “Three more law enforcement officers are suing former President Trump in two separate lawsuits over his words and actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. Two Metropolitan Police officers and one Capitol Police officer have filed separate lawsuits, alleging wrongful conduct in inciting a riot as his followers tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Both lawsuits were filed in D.C. federal court Tuesday, two days before the one-year anniversary of the Capitol assault. ‘Trump's words and conduct leading up to and on January 6, 2021, and his ratification through silence when words and action were necessary, and his further ratification by direct praise of the rioters, as set forth herein, demonstrated a willful and wanton disregard for and a reckless indifference to Bobby Tabron and DeDivine K. Carter's safety and that of their fellow officers,’ reads the complaint from Metropolitan Police officers Bobby Tabron and DeDevine Carter.” [CBS News, 1/5/22]
The DC Circuit Court Of Appeals Ruled That Civil Lawsuits Against Trump For His Role In The January Attack On The Capitol Could Proceed. According to the New York Times, “A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that civil lawsuits seeking to hold former President Donald J. Trump accountable for the violence that erupted at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can move forward for now, rejecting a broad assertion of immunity that Mr. Trump’s legal team had invoked to try to get the cases dismissed.” [New York Times, 12/1/23]
The Court Did Not Rule On Whether Trump’s January 6 Speech Was A Private Or Official Act. According to the New York Times, “But the decision, by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, left open the possibility that Mr. Trump could still prevail in his immunity claims after he makes further arguments as to why his fiery speech to supporters near the White House on Jan. 6 should be considered an official presidential act, rather than part of his re-election campaign. The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution gives presidents immunity from being sued over actions taken as part of their official duties, but not from suits based on private, unofficial acts. The civil cases brought against Mr. Trump have raised the question of which role he was playing at the rally he staged on Jan. 6, when he told supporters to ‘fight like hell’ and urged them to march to the Capitol.” [New York Times, 12/1/23]
Trump Did Not Appeal A Federal Appeals Court Decision That Said Presidents Did Not Have Absolute Immunity From Civil Suits. According to Politico, “Donald Trump is passing up the chance to add a fourth case to a trio of Trump-related appeals already stacked up at the Supreme Court. Trump elected not to ask the justices to reverse a federal appeals court ruling issued in December rejecting his claim that presidents have absolute immunity from being sued for actions taken while they are in office. That means at least three lawsuits brought against him in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol can advance to the next phase — a period of limited evidence-gathering related to Trump’s activities on Jan. 6, 2021 and whether they were official or political in nature. The lawsuits — brought by members of Congress and police officers scarred by the attack — have been pending since 2021 but delayed amid Trump’s bid for the courts to declare him immune from lawsuits related to his actions as president.” [Politico, 2/15/24]
An Appeals Court Ruled That Trump Gave His January 6 Speech In His Capacity As A Candidate, Not As President. According to Politico, “For now, that means a Washington, D.C., appeals court ruling that found Trump could be sued for his role in stoking the violence on Jan. 6 will stand. The unanimous ruling of the three-judge panel, which included a Trump-nominated judge, concluded that Trump’s remarks to supporters on Jan. 6 appeared to be delivered in his capacity as a candidate for reelection — not in his official capacity as president.” [Politico, 2/15/24]
Eighteen People - Including 11 Fake Electors And Seven Top Aides To Donald Trump - Were Indicted In Arizona For Trying To Overturn The 2020 Election. According to the Arizona Republic, “A grand jury has charged 11 Arizona Republicans and seven top aides to Donald Trump in a scheme to keep Trump in the White House by falsely certifying he won the state in 2020, though voters in the Grand Canyon State narrowly favored Joe Biden. Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday the grand jury had issued the nine-count indictment. It alleges the slate of Republicans sometimes known as fake electors and the Trump aides engaged in a conspiracy aimed at ‘preventing the lawful transfer of the presidency of the United States, keeping President Donald J. Trump in office against the will of Arizona voters, and depriving Arizona voters of their right to vote and have their votes counted.’ The names of the seven Trump allies were redacted from the 58-page indictment, meaning they have not yet been served notice of the charges against them.” [Arizona Republic, 4/24/24]
The Seven Trump Aides Were Believed To Be Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Jenna Ellis, Christina Bobb, Boris Epshteyn, And Michael Roman. According to the Arizona Republic, “Though their names are redacted, as are the specific charges against them, details in the indictment make clear that the architects of Trump's national campaign to steal the election are also facing charges in Arizona. Those individuals appear to include Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, former chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyers Jenna Ellis and Christina Bobb, and Trump advisers Boris Epshteyn and Michael Roman.” [Arizona Republic, 4/24/24]
Trump Was “Unindicted Coconspirator 1” In The Indictment. According to the Arizona Republic. Trump, who is asking voters to return him to the White House this year, is ‘unindicted coconspirator 1,’ according to the indictment.” [Arizona Republic, 4/24/24]
An Arizona Grand Jury Expressed “Interest” In Charging Trump In The Fake Electors Scheme, But Did Not Do So After The Attorney General’s Office Requested That He Not Be Indicted. According to the Arizona Republic, “An Arizona grand jury expressed ‘interest’ in charging former President Donald Trump and other Republican state lawmakers as part of its investigation of efforts to overturn the 2020 election result, new court filings reveal. But it was Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes' office that ‘requested’ the jurors not indict the former president or those lawmakers, the document says. Ultimately the grand jury charged 18 people — not Trump — in April with nine felonies alleging they attempted to thwart the will of Arizona voters who narrowly elected President Joe Biden nearly four years ago.” [Arizona Republic, 8/6/24]
Trump, Along With Mark Meadows And Rudy Giuliani, Were Named As “Unindicted Con-Conspirators” In Michigan’s Investigation Into The Fake Electors Scheme. According to the Detroit News, “Michigan prosecutors consider former President Donald Trump and some of his top aides co-conspirators in the plot to submit a certificate falsely claiming he won Michigan's 2020 election, an investigator for Attorney General Dana Nessel's office testified Wednesday in court. Howard Shock, a special agent for Nessel, said Trump; Mark Meadows, who was Trump's chief of staff; and Rudy Giuliani, who was his personal lawyer, are ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ in Michigan's false elector case. In total, over the last two days, Shock has identified 11 conspirators who haven't been charged. That means prosecutors believe they participated, to some extent, in an alleged scheme to commit forgery by creating a false document asserting Trump had won Michigan's 16 electoral votes when Democrat Joe Biden had won them.” [Detroit News, 4/24/24]