Texts and emails show the behind-the-scenes fake elector strategy that was used in attempts to undermine the 2020 election results.
Two attorneys for former United States President Donald Trump orchestrated the plan for the fake electors to file paperwork that falsely claimed the businessman won Wisconsin. The details of this were unveiled in a lawsuit settlement that was reached on Monday makes public months of messages.
Wisconsin Fake Electors Scheme
Under the agreement, Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis turned over more than 1,400 pages of documents, emails, and text messages. These included photographs and videos that offer a detailed account of the scheme's origins in the state.
The information exchanges showed how they, with cooperation from Trump campaign officials, replicated the strategy in six other states. These areas include Georgia, where Chesebro has already pleaded guilty to charges that stemmed from the 2020 election.
The new agreements settle a civil lawsuit that was brought by Democratic officials in 2022 against two attorneys and 10 Wisconsin Republicans who pose as fake electors. The Republicans were able to settle the matter in December last year, as per the Associated Press.
One of the plaintiffs' attorneys, Scott Thompson, said, "Our democracy demands better than this." He added that this is why the lawsuit consistently seeks transparency, accountability, and deterrence, noting that they cannot let the same thing happen in the future.
The situation comes as there was no admission of wrongdoing or liability in the agreements in which Chesebro and Troupis promised to never participate in similar efforts. These involve future presidential campaigns. Furthermore, Troupis must also pay an undisclosed amount to the plaintiffs.
On Monday, Troupis said in an emailed statement that the "alternate electoral ballots" were a "reasonable course of action" given that the 2020 results were appealable to the United States Supreme Court.
Additionally, the texts reveal that one Trump attorney claimed to have sent a memo to the White House, "the real decision makers" about how to carry out the fake electors plot across the nation, according to CNN.
Undermining the 2020 Election Results
The collection of texts, emails, and photos offer additional evidence that Chesebro pushed for the fake electors to move forward regardless of whether or not the former president won any lawsuits that challenged the election results. This only worked to undercut his recent testimony to state prosecutors where he said that the electors were contingent on winning the litigation.
Chesebro has argued that all of his legal work for the Trump campaign was done in good faith, adding that they were largely rooted in historical precedent from past disputed presidential elections.
On the other hand, the 10 Republicans in Wisconsin in December last year agreed to withdraw their inaccurate filings, acknowledge Biden as the winner of the presidential election, and not serve as presidential electors in 2024 or in any election where Trump is on the ballot.
That civil settlement marked the first time that pro-Trump electors agreed to revoke their false filings and not repeat their actions in the 2024 general election, said the Washington Post.
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