Sunday, December 06, 2020

HUGE: 20 House Republicans demand Barr investigate ‘suitcases’ of ballots in Georgia

 By Paul Bedard, Washington Secrets Columnist | Washington Examiner


Photo: Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks

Some 20 House Republicans, showing dissatisfaction with the Justice Department’s lax approach to national charges of voting fraud, demanded today that Attorney General William Barr open an investigation into the Georgia election.

Citing video showing suitcases of ballots during the counting, the 20 lawmakers, led by Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks and including incoming members, also urged Barr to issue a restraining order or temporary injunction to block groups suspected of registering illegal or invalid voters from the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff election.

Brooks, who has already pledged to challenge state Electoral College votes in the House, said, “The evidence is overwhelming that Georgia’s election process has been corrupted by voter fraud and election theft. The perpetrators of these heinous acts must be investigated, and, as appropriate, prosecuted to the fullest.”

He cited a hearing in Georgia yesterday that drew new concerns of ballot stuffing in order to throw the election for Joe Biden in a state President Trump was expected to win.

Brooks said in a statement shared with Secrets:

“No one should ever be allowed to bring an estimated 15,000 to 18,000 ballots to a vote-counting facility in suitcases; hide those suitcases under a table before the vote-counting facility opens; at roughly 10:30 PM at night, declare that vote tabulation is finished for the night and will resume at 8:30 AM the next day; order all poll watchers and media to leave the facility; and then, once the facility is reduced to a bare minimum of five co-workers (and possibly criminal co-conspirators), with no poll watchers present; roll out the suitcases from their hiding place, withdraw thousands of ballots, and stuff the vote-counting machines with what appears to be, by the conduct observed, illegal and fraudulent ballots. Yet that is exactly what a newly released video of a polling location reveals.”

Barr has been under fire for his recent statement that the department hasn’t seen enough fraud to change the results showing a Biden victory.

Trump has since been mulling firing his loyal lieutenant.

Below is the letter and a list of those who signed it:

___________________

December 4, 2020

The Honorable William Barr
Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Attorney General Barr,

Two pillars of a successful republic are election integrity and confidence in our democratic processes. As Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed Monday, his office is investigating multiple organizations attempting to register illegal and invalid voters in Georgia. [1] As the Georgia Secretary of State’s office lacks prosecutorial power, we ask that the Department of Justice simultaneously investigate and prosecute this illegal behavior under federal law. Additionally, we ask that you use your authority as Attorney General to issue a preliminary order preventing any organization from registering illegal and invalid voters in the upcoming January 5th Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff Elections.

By way of background, these organizations stand accused of registering a deceased Alabama voter, encouraging illegal voting by out of state residents, as well as knowingly sending Georgia voter registration applications out of state - as far as New York.[2] Allegedly, Operation New Voter Registration Georgia encouraged college students to temporarily change their residency so that they could vote in the runoff election,[3] which is illegal under multiple federal statutes. See 252 U.S.C. § 10307(c) & 18 U.S.C. § 371. Reportedly, Vote Forward attempted to register a dead voter,[4] which is also illegal under federal statute. See 52 U.S.C. §§ 10307(c), 10307(e), 20511(2). America Votes and the New Georgia Project, founded by Stacey Abrams, both are accused of sending voter registration application to invalid addresses.[5]

Federal law gives the Attorney General the authority to issue preliminary relief when there are reasonable grounds to believe that any person is about to engage in any election offense. See 52 USC § 10308(d). [6] We strongly urge you to use your authority as Attorney General to issue a restraining order or temporary injunction preventing organizations from registering illegal and invalid voters in the upcoming election. Swift action is needed to ensure that illegal votes do not dilute the rights of legal voters.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Mo Brooks (AL-05), Jody Hice (GA-10), Randy Weber (TX-14), Ted Yoho (FL-03), Michael Cloud (TX-27), Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04), Andy Harris (MD-01), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Scott Perry (PA-10), Alex Mooney (WV-02), Tedd Budd (NC-13), Benjamin Cline (VA-06), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Jason Smith (MO-08), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Tom McClintock (CA-04), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), David Rouzer (NC-07), Russ Fulcher (ID-03), Fred Keller (PA-12), Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Majorie Taylor Greene (member-elect, GA-14), Lauren Boebert (member-elect, CO-03), Barry Moore (member-elect, AL-02), Andrew Clyde (member-elect, GA-09).

______________

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/20-house-gop-demand-ag-barr-investigate-suitcases-of-ballots-in-georgia 

______________________________________

RELATED ARTICLES

 

64 GOP Pennsylvania lawmakers send letter urging Congress to block electoral votes from going to Biden

By Andrew Mark Miller, Social Media Producer  | Washington Examiner 

Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi

More than 60 Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers have signed a letter asking their representatives in Congress to block the commonwealth’s electoral votes from going to President-elect Joe Biden.

The letter, signed by 64 Republican legislators and sent to Pennsylvanian members of Congress on Friday, outlined several ways in which they believe Gov. Tom Wolf and others “undermined” election safeguards that give the public confidence in the results.

“The Pennsylvania Election Code requires that all mail-in ballots be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day; Governor Wolf ordered that this statutory deadline be waived in some counties during the Primary Election, then sought its waiver statewide for the General Election,” read the letter as it mentioned other grievances, such as issues with inspecting ballots, counting defective ballots, and poll watching.

“For these reasons, we the undersigned members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly urge you to object, and vote to sustain such objection, to the Electoral College votes received from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” it concluded.

Multiple Pennsylvania politicians have already announced that they will not stand in the way of certifying the state’s 20 electoral votes, including Sen. Pat Toomey, who said in a statement that he “will not be objecting to Pennsylvania’s slate of electors.”

After the Electoral College meets on Dec. 14, the election process shifts to Congress as it will then have to certify the election results in early January — at which point, some Trump allies have suggested an opening exists to challenge the results.

Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks floated a long-shot plan on Wednesday to force a deliberation in Congress on the matter, which President Trump appeared to appreciate in a tweet the next day.

“Thank you to Representative Mo Brooks!” Trump tweeted.

Trump continues to pursue legal avenues to contest the Nov. 3 election results, citing widespread voter fraud and improprieties in multiple battleground states. Major news networks and even some government officials, including Attorney General William Barr, have disputed the notion that voter fraud changed the outcome of the election.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/64-gop-pennsylvania-lawmakers-send-letter-urging-congress-to-block-electoral-votes-from-going-to-biden?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=midarticle_rec

_______________

Giuliani claims 'big win' on Michigan judge's order to examine election equipment related to marijuana proposal

By Mica Soellner, Breaking News Reporter | Washington Examiner

President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani claimed a victory over a county judge in Michigan issuing a preliminary order to look into county election equipment. However, the order was limited to a dispute over a marijuana proposal.

Circuit Judge Kevin Elsenheimer, a former Republican state lawmaker, ordered the preservation of election orders and placed a protective order around "forensic images and/or other information gleaned from the forensic investigation" in a five-page order, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Giuliani claimed the order as a win for the president's legal team he is a part of, which has disputed the election results in several states over allegations of voter fraud.

"BIG WIN FOR HONEST ELECTIONS. Antrim County Judge in Michigan orders forensic examination of 22 Dominion voting machines. This is where the untrustworthy Dominion machine flipped 6000 votes from Trump to Biden. Spiking of votes by Dominion happened all over the state," Giuliani tweeted on Friday.

---

TWEET

Rudy W. Giuliani

@RudyGiuliani

BIG WIN FOR HONEST ELECTIONS. Antrim County Judge in Michigan orders forensic examination of 22 Dominion voting machines. This is where the untrustworthy Dominion machine flipped 6000 votes from Trump to Biden. Spiking of votes by Dominion happened all over the state.

---

Giuliani pointed to errors made in Antrim County's unofficial election results, which were posted on the state website the night of the election and showed Democrat Joe Biden beating Trump, despite the county normally being solid Republican territory.

The misreporting was the result of human error by a GOP county clerk, who corrected the error. The clerk incorrectly updated the candidate information sent to the election software, while Dominion vote tabulation machines and all other related software operated as they were supposed to, according to local elections officials.

The latest order does not revolve around the results of the presidential election but rather a village marijuana proposal.

A challenge on the matter was brought forward by voter William Bailey, who raised the issue with the close concerns of the proposal, which allowed a marijuana retailer in the village of Central Lake. The ordinance was tied 262-262 in votes, which would mean a loss for the proposal. Bailey sued the county on Nov. 23, seeking a restraining order and preliminary injunction against the county.

Once ballots were recounted, the proposal passed by one vote. Bailey alleged three ballots that were damaged during the retabulation weren't included in the revised results, according to the Associated Press.

Elsenheimer said Bailey is "is entitled to have his vote counted and the (county) has a duty to maintain an accurate and secure election."

On Fox News Sunday morning, Jenna Ellis, an attorney on Trump's legal team, claimed that her team was going in around 8:30 a.m. to examine the machines. The examination is expected to last 8 hours, and the results will come to light in 48 hours.

The judge did not mention Antrim County's presidential election results, which ended in Trump's favor after the initial error was corrected. In Antrim County, Trump defeated President-elect Biden by almost 4,000 votes out of the 16,000 votes cast.

As a whole, Michigan remains a victory for Biden, who beat Trump by more than 150,000 votes. Trump has refused to concede to Biden since he was declared the winner a month ago. 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/giuliani-claims-big-win-on-michigan-judges-order-to-examine-election-equipment-related-to-marijuana-proposal

__________________

Alito moves up deadline for Pennsylvania officials to respond to lawsuit seeking to block Biden victory

By Anthony Leonardi, Breaking News Reporter  | Washington Examiner 


Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito changed a key deadline for Pennsylvania officials to respond to a lawsuit from Republicans seeking to flip the state election's result from Joe Biden to President Trump.

On Sunday, Alito moved the deadline for Pennsylvania officials to respond from Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. to Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 9 a.m., the day of the state's safe harbor deadline. The previous deadline meant that Congress could not change any of the electors set by the state after the date. This year, the Electoral College meets on Dec. 14 to cast its votes in the election, making the winner of the election the next president.

Republicans in Pennsylvania asked the Supreme Court to overturn the state's 2019 law on mail-in voting, a legal endeavor spearheaded by GOP Rep. Mike Kelly and Trump ally Sean Parnell. They argue that a state statute known as Act 77 violates the state and federal Constitution by allowing for “no-excuse mail-in” votes on a large scale. The act allowed voters to cast their ballots by mail up to 50 days prior to an election without giving an excuse, which was previously required in order to receive an absentee ballot. More than 2.5 million Pennsylvania residents voted by mail last month, constituting over one-third of total ballots cast statewide.

The state's Supreme Court shot down the lawsuit, prompting Republican officials to make an appeal to the Supreme Court. Greg Teufel, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Washington Examiner last week that the Pennsylvania high court “slammed the courthouse door shut before the election” and has now “slammed the courthouse door shut after the election.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz urged the Supreme Court to hear Kelly's lawsuit, saying the case "raises serious legal issues."

"This appeal argues that Pennsylvania cannot change the rules in the middle of the game. If Pennsylvania wants to change how voting occurs, the state must follow the law to do so," Cruz said. The Republican senator also said the justices on Pennsylvania's Supreme Court made a decision that "reflect their political and ideological biases."

“Just over a month ago, Justice Alito, along with Justice Thomas and Justice Gorsuch, wrote — correctly, I believe — concerning the Pennsylvania court's previous decision to count ballots received after Election Day, that ‘there is a strong likelihood that the State Supreme Court decision violates the Federal Constitution," Cruz continued.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/alito-moves-up-deadline-for-pennsylvania-officials-to-respond-to-lawsuit-seeking-to-block-biden-victory

______________ 

Trump announces lawyer Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID-19

By Anthony Leonardi, Breaking News Reporter | Washington Examiner

President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus, the president announced.

"Rudy Giuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus," Trump tweeted. "Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!"

The Washington Examiner reached out to Giuliani, the White House, and the Trump campaign for further comment. Giuliani was reportedly at Georgetown University Medical Center following his diagnosis, according to the New York Times.

Giuliani has repeatedly been exposed to people who have contracted the coronavirus, including Trump before the first presidential debate with then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus in early October, which required him to be hospitalized for several days at Walter Reed Medical Center to recover. However, the first couple's recovery means that they may not be at a heightened risk of contracting the virus.

Giuliani's age, 76, puts him at greater risk category for the virus. It was not immediately clear why the president was the first to announce Giuliani's diagnosis.

Giuliani has spearheaded the president's legal efforts to overturn the results of the election, making allegations of a national conspiracy of voter fraud.

There have been more than 14.66 million people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the United States, with over 281,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-announces-lawyer-rudy-giuliani-tests-positive-for-covid-19