Former President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was "stolen" from him by Democrats engaging in widespread voter fraud were repeatedly proven to be nonsense, debunked by dozens of courts, countless audits, and even his own Justice Department.
But though there was no validity to the claims, the only thing keeping Trump from ending America's 200+ year old tradition of peacefully transferring power was due to moments of integrity from those willing to tell him no. Trump repeatedly pressured officials at all levels to sway the results in his favor.
Trump and his allies repeatedly called Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman, urging him to announce that there were voting irregularities in the hotly-contested Arizona district. Hickman ignored the calls.
Trump pressured Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the exact amount of votes he needed to win the state. Raffensperger refused.
Ahead of the deadly failed insurrection mounted by pro-Trump extremists on January 6, Trump publicly urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to do " the right thing" and unilaterally throw out certified electoral votes of swing states Trump lost. As Pence prepared to oversee the joint session of Congress certifying Biden's 2020 victory, he wrote a letter explaining why he didn't have that constitutional power.
Democracy may have prevailed in 2020, but a new report from Amy Gardner, Tom Hamburger and Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post details how Trump loyalists are taking steps to make sure their allegiance drowns out the voices of the American people.
In the swing state of Michigan, local GOP members are working to sway election canvassing boards in their favor by installing election conspiracists who defended Trump in 2020. In the swing state of Pennsylvania, election conspiracists won elections to be voting inspectors.
The report further reveals:
"Citing the need to make elections more secure, Trump allies are also seeking to replace officials across the nation, including volunteer poll watchers, paid precinct judges, elected county clerks and state attorneys general, according to state and local officials, as well as rally speeches, social media posts and campaign appearances by those seeking the positions."
And ultimately surmises:
"If they succeed, Trump and his allies could pull down some of the guardrails that prevented him from overturning Biden’s win by creating openings to challenge the results next time, election officials and watchdog groups say."
The development instilled a new sense of urgency for Democrats on social media.
The most underplayed story in American is Trumpists taking over the election apparatus and other Republicans just shrugging it off https://t.co/KG79J5L6r2
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) November 30, 2021
I truly believe this man's massive ego, rapacious sense of victimhood, and endless entitlement will swallow the country. "Trump allies work to place supporters in key election posts across the country, spurring fears about future vote challenges" - WaPo https://t.co/IvviHm0qxI
— jennifer evans (@nejsnave) November 30, 2021
Meanwhile, local officials, including those who manage the mechanics of elections, are being driven out of office to be replaced by people whose partisanship transcends any reasonable limit https://t.co/K9brcevudQ pic.twitter.com/sAx5jZge8d
— Jonathan Zittrain (@zittrain) November 30, 2021
It goes beyond secretaries of state: Trump and his lackeys are seeking to replace volunteer poll watchers, paid precinct judges, elected county clerks, and state attorneys general with Trump loyalists in order to control the administration of elections. https://t.co/A0llmmzKzl
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 30, 2021
This is pretty scary https://t.co/D2ClJUkFbq
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) November 30, 2021
The adminsurrection continues.
Trump allies are seeking to replace election officials across the nation, from volunteer poll watchers to state attorneys general.
"They are planning nothing but chaos," says Jeff Timmer, former chair of the Michigan GOP. https://t.co/CeyYOeBg8K
— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) November 30, 2021
Americans across the country are urgently calling for Democrats to pass voting rights legislation.
Let's get going.
