By Paul Bedard, Washington Secrets Columnist | Washington Examiner
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).
______________
______________________________________
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.
_______________
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
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.
__________________
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.
______________
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.
