Trump and allies spew threats to election workers
Two former Georgia election workers testified before a House committee on Jan. 6 that they accused Donald Trump and his allies of voter fraud — allegations that were quickly dismissed but widely circulated in the conservative media. (July 23)
AP
Former President Donald Trump pressured election officials in Michigan not to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Detroit News reported Thursday.
Trump and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called two Republican members of the Wayne County Board — the body that certifies election results for Michigan’s most populous Detroit county — to urge them not to sign the results. Call recording Reviewed by News.
Trump reportedly told Monica Palmer and William Hartman on November 17, 2020.
The report sheds new light on the Trump campaign’s efforts to contest the election results in a key swing state, and comes amid two criminal cases against Trump at the state and federal level related to election interference.
President Joe Biden defeated Trump by about 154,000 votes in Michigan in 2020, and several legal cases related to election fraud have been dismissed by courts for lack of evidence. A state senate committee It also investigated claims of fraud by members of the Republican Party and found them to be unsubstantiated.
Both Trump and McDaniel called on the two Republicans shortly after they voted to certify the results. Trump reportedly told them they would be “terrible” if they signed the documents to finalize the certification.
“If you can go home tonight, don’t sign it. … We’ll get you lawyers,” McDaniel said.
Palmer and Hartman left the meeting without signing the documents. The next day, though that effort failed, they petitioned to rescind their vote in favor of certification. Palmer had previously said that Trump called him that night to thank him and express concerns about his safety.
Spokesmen for Palmer, McDaniel and Trump did not deny the call’s summary, according to reports. Hartmann died in 2021.
Trump’s actions were taken “in furtherance of his duty as President of the United States to faithfully uphold the laws and ensure election integrity, including investigating the fraudulent and stolen 2020 presidential election,” spokesman Steven Cheung told the news outlet.
Trump is currently facing federal charges for his efforts to alter the results of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors argue that Trump knowingly campaigned for voter fraud in states like Michigan and pushed then-Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the results on January 6, 2021. That trial will begin on March 4.
The former president also faces criminal charges in Georgia for attempting to tamper with that state’s election. The government alleges Trump led a “criminal fraud enterprise” to alter election results, including pushing bogus voters, harassing county election workers, illegally copying data from election equipment and soliciting enough votes from the secretary of the Republican Party of Georgia. to succeed.
