Tag: Trump trying to cheat his way to a second term

Trump delivers thinly-veiled threat to Mike Pence ahead of electoral vote count in Congress

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During his rally in Dalton, Ga., on Monday, Jan. 4, President Donald Trump delivered a thinly-veiled threat to Vice President Mike Pence ahead of Congress’ formal count of electoral votes.

Trump told his crowd of supporters that he hopes Pence “comes through” for themalthough the vice president’s role in overseeing the vote is procedural. The embattled president also insinuated that Pence would no longer be on his list of favorable people, according to The Daily Beast.

“I hope Mike Pence comes through for us,” Trump said to his crowd of supporters. “If he doesn’t come through, I won’t like him quite as much.” Continue reading.

Trump pressure campaign on Georgia backfires with GOP

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President Trump‘s extraordinary phone call with Georgia’s secretary of state is roiling Washington and putting Republicans on the defensive as Democrats call for a criminal investigation of the president. 

The political fallout of Trump’s hour-long call over the weekend, which was recorded and widely disseminated, is putting a damper on an insurgent Republican bid to challenge the results of electoral votes in several swing states.

The effort to muster Republican support for objecting to states’ electoral votes when Congress meets in a joint session Wednesday stalled after Trump’s tense communication with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger became public. Continue reading.

The Republicans refusing to join Trump’s coup attempt are making a stunning admission

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A small group of far right GOP members of Congress were getting some initial praise after announcing they would not be joining Republicans contesting the presidential election – until they released a statement explaining why.

Essentially, the seven lawmakers are explicitly warning their Republican colleagues to not challenge or disrupt the Electoral College, because that is likely the only way America will see another Republican president.

“Republican presidential candidates have won the national popular vote only once in the last 32 years,” they freely admit. “They have therefore depended on the electoral college for nearly all presidential victories in the last generation.” Continue reading.

Karl Rove Goes Off on Trump’s ‘Unseemly’ Georgia Phone Call: ‘It Boggles My Mind’

“The president has been ill-served in this whole process.”

Fox News contributor Karl Rove joined other Republicans on Monday in openly criticizing President Donald Trump’s “unseemly” call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he urged the Republican official to “find” 11,780 more votes in his favor to flip the state from President-elect Joe Biden.

In a potentially legally perilous call over the weekend, the president spent an hour attempting to shake down Raffensperger while parroting unhinged conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud. A recording of the call, which featured the Georgia secretary of state repeatedly debunking Trump’s false claims and rebuffing his requests to overturn the election, was later leaked to TheWashington Post.

During Monday’s broadcast of Fox News panel show Outnumbered, Rove—who has been criticalof Trump’s efforts to overthrow Biden’s victory—was asked by lead anchor Harris Faulkner to respond to the “shock over one Republican recording that” call. Continue reading.

Business leaders urge Congress to certify Biden win

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Almost 200 of the country’s top business leaders urged Congress to certify the electoral results for President-elect Joe Biden in a letter Monday, arguing that “attempts to thwart or delay this process run counter to the essential tenets of our democracy.”

The letter marked the business community’s most significant push yet to ensure President Trump’s efforts to overturn the November election are unsuccessful. Signers included a wide array of executives of Fortune 500 companies, from the leaders of banks, airlines, investment firms, pharmaceutical companies, professional sports leagues, real estate conglomerates, top law firms and media companies.

“The presidential election has been decided and it is time for the country to move forward,” the letter reviewed by The Washington Post said. “ … The incoming Biden administration faces the urgent tasks of defeating covid-19 and restoring the livelihoods of millions of Americans who have lost jobs and businesses during the pandemic.” Continue reading.

DC braces for pro-Trump protests amid Electoral College challenge

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Officials in Washington, D.C., are bracing for clashes in the streets Wednesday as thousands of pro-Trump supporters arrive to protest the presidential election and cheer on challenges of the Electoral College in Congress.

President Trump in several tweets has called his supporters to gather in the country’s capital for “wild” protests, sparking fears of trouble between proponents and critics of the president.

Three groups have submitted permits to the National Parks Service (NPS) to hold demonstrations Tuesday and Wednesday, calling on Congress to move toward overturning the election in Trump’s favor. The NPS has approved two, granting Women For America First a permit for the “March for Trump” at the Ellipse on Wednesday and the Eighty Percent Coalition a permit for its “Rally for Revival” in Freedom Plaza on Tuesday.  Continue reading.

‘Sedition’ of Trump-supporting senators has a silver lining: political economist

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I’ve been in or around politics for over a half century now, and I never imagined how low and looney the Republican Party would become. Eleven Republican senators and senators-elect said today they will vote to reject President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory next Wednesday when Congress meets to formally certify it.

They are joining a growing movement in the GOP to defy the unambiguous results of the 2020 presidential election and support Trump’s bizarre attempt to remain in power with false claims of voting fraud.

Remember: Every state has now certified the election results after verifying their accuracy. Several underwent post-election audits or hand counts. At the same time, judges across America, including Supreme Court justices, have rejected nearly 60 attempts by Trump and his allies to challenge the results.

Trump’s last days: Report says president personally pressured more than 150 Republicans to overturn election

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President Donald Trump’s last days are filled with chaos, erratic decisions and impulsive behavior, according to insiders familiar with his battle to overturn the outcome of the election. 

According to Politico, many of the president’s advisors have repeatedly urged him to concede and let go of his losing battle, but he has adamantly pushed back. It has been reported that Trump has now shut down his campaign team and ignored White House staff only relying on the advice of those who have no problem pushing his dangerous agenda.

Now, he has reportedly spoken to more than 150 Republican leaders across all of the battleground states he lost as he attempts to pressure and strong-arm them into overturning the presidential election. Although the Electoral College has already cast its votes solidifying Biden’s win, Trump is still working to overturn the election without substantial evidence of widespread voter fraud. Continue reading.

Trump Campaign Files Supreme Court Appeal Warning Of ‘Disruption’ If ‘Unfairness’ Persists

President Trump is urging the Supreme Court to reverse three election challenges already ruled on by the Pennsylvania’s highest court, according to a motion filed by the Trump re-election campaign. 

Trump is challenging Pennsylvania’s own Supreme Court’s ruling on the verification of absentee ballot signatures, as well as two cases pertaining to canvassing, according to the petition for certification, or “cert petition.”

“Here’s a tell about the bonkers Trump cert petition,” tweeted Rick Hasen, a University of California legal scholar who specializes in election law. “…If they were serious they would have filed emergency motion for injunction. They don’t want another loss before Jan. 6 or 20.” He also drew attention to the ominous wording of the Trump lawyers’ appeal, which warns of the “disruption that may well follow if the uncertainty and unfairness shrouding this election are allowed to persist.” Continue reading.