The alternate electors part of the coup looks more and more nefarious
Sure, this was all on the up and up. And I’m sure Georgia wasn’t the only state involved:
A staffer for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign instructed Republicans planning to cast electoral college votes for Trump in Georgia despite Joe Biden’s victory to operate in “complete secrecy,” an email obtained by The Washington Post shows.
“I must ask for your complete discretion in this process,” wrote Robert Sinners, the campaign’s election operations director for Georgia, the day before the 16 Republicans gathered at the Georgia Capitol to sign certificates declaring themselves duly elected. “Your duties are imperative to ensure the end result — a win in Georgia for President Trump — but will be hampered unless we have complete secrecy and discretion.”
The Dec. 13, 2020, email went on to instruct the electors to tell security guards at the building that they had an appointment with one of two state senators. “Please, at no point should you mention anything to do with Presidential Electors or speak to the media,” Sinners continued in bold.
The admonishments suggest that those who carried out the fake elector planwere concerned that, had the gathering become public before Republicans could follow through on casting their votes, the effort could have been disrupted. Georgia law requires that electors fulfill their duties at the State Capitol. On Dec. 14, 2020, protesters for and against the two presidential candidates had gathered on the Capitol grounds.
Georgia was one of seven states won by Biden where Republican electors gathered Dec. 14, 2020, signing certificates purporting to affirm Trump as the actual victor of their states. Though Biden’s win in Georgia had been formally certified — and reconfirmed after a recount and court cases — Trump supporters later cited the actions of the electors to argue Biden’s win in Georgia and elsewhere remained in doubt.
They argued that when Congress met on Jan. 6, 2021,to count the electoral college votes that Vice President MikePence could choose to recognize Trump’s electors over Biden’s. Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol after Pence announced he believed that the Constitution required him to recognize only official electors.
In a statement, Sinners said he was working at the direction of senior campaign officials and Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, who served as a Trump elector in the state. “I was advised by attorneys that this was necessary in order to preserve the pending legal challenge,” he said.
“Following the Former President’s refusal to accept the results of the election and allow a peaceful transition of power, my views on this matter have changed significantly from where they were on December 13th,” said Sinners, who now works for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), who resisted Trump’s efforts to overturn the result.
Well, that’s news. Someone’s views on this matter have changed significantly. How novel.
This is one investigation the DOJ does seem to be pursuing. I don’t know where it’s going but instructing people to lie in order to carry out an allegedly lawful act doesn’t exactly look innocent. Stay tuned on this one.