In recent weeks, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow began a journalistic investigation into proof of forged documents purporting to be signed by the official slate of electors casting their votes for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. The most notable problem with the documents was that all of them were submitted to the National Archives from seven states where Trump and Pence had not won. Once the documents had been obtained and explored, it was clear that the language and intent were the same in each one, clear proof that the fake electors document was a coordinated effort.
NEW from NYT colleagues: 15 days after election lawyer for Trump campaign received memo setting out strategy to put in place alternate slates of electors in states where Trump had lost .. At heart of strategy was idea that their real deadline was Jan. 6. https://t.co/8aAyYYPSmE
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) February 3, 2022
NYT obtained memos. Here they are: https://t.co/EcsqJ5e99e
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) February 3, 2022
Just 15 days after November 3, 2020, when Joe Biden took the White House by around seven million votes and 306 electoral college votes versus Trump’s 232. A memo sent to James R. Troupis, a Trump campaign lawyer in Wisconsin, by lawyer Kenneth Chesebro on November 18 laid out a plan to put false electors in place in each state where Trump challenged the vote. It is unknown if any plans toward these efforts were mentioned prior to that date.
According to The New York Times:
‘The Nov. 18 memo and another three weeks later are among the earliest known efforts to put on paper proposals for preparing alternate electors. They helped to shape a crucial strategy that Mr. Trump would embrace with profound consequences for himself and the nation.’
The November memo focused specifically on Wisconsin, where Biden won over Trump by just 0.65 percent of the votes, and instructed that they should meet on December 14 as the state’s electors would be casting their votes. While a December 14 deadline was firmly in place for submitting a slate of electors, the memo insisted that January 6 was the true deadline, or “the hard deadline,” for making changes. The second memo indicated that the lawyers knew how legally risky their plans were.
‘The second memo was dated Dec. 9, 2020, and expanded on the plan. It set forth an analysis of how to legally authorize alternate electors in six key swing states, including Wisconsin. It noted that the scheme was “unproblematic” in Arizona and Wisconsin, “slightly problematic” in Michigan, “somewhat dicey” in Georgia and Pennsylvania, and “very problematic” in Nevada.’
NEW: The 84 people who signed bogus documents claiming that Trump won the 2020 election include 7 current candidates for public office, 8 current office holders, and at least 5 previous state and federal office holders https://t.co/87rNWY6ns0
— Kira Lerner (@kira_lerner) January 31, 2022
Recently reporting shows that the twice-impeached ex-president who lost the popular vote twice was made aware of the scheme, and Trump has also been outed in recent days for having an involvement in a plan to have government agencies like Homeland Security seize voting machines, which Trump said were rigged. The fake slate of electors was not in any way the first or only illegal act uncovered around Trump, but it is one backed by significant evidence.
‘The plan to employ alternate electors was one of Mr. Trump’s most expansive efforts to stave off defeat, beginning even before some states had finished counting ballots and culminating in the pressure placed on Mr. Pence when he presided over the joint congressional session on Jan. 6. At various times, the scheme involved state lawmakers, White House aides and lawyers like Mr. Chesebro and Mr. Troupis.’
