WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump pressed top Justice Department officials late last year to declare that the election was corrupt even though they had found no instances of widespread fraud, so he and his allies in Congress could use the assertion to try to overturn the results, according to new documents provided to lawmakers.
The demands were an extraordinary instance of a president interfering with an agency that is typically more independent from the White House to advance his personal agenda. They are also the latest example of Mr. Trump’s wide-ranging campaign during his final weeks in office to delegitimize the election results.
The exchange unfolded during a phone call on Dec. 27 in which Mr. Trump pressed the acting attorney general at the time, Jeffrey A. Rosen, and his deputy, Richard P. Donoghue, on voter fraud claims that the Justice Department had found no evidence for. Mr. Donoghue warned that the department had no power to change the outcome of the election. Mr. Trump replied that he did not expect that, according to notes Mr. Donoghue took memorializing the conversation.
“Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me” and to congressional allies, Mr. Donoghue wrote in summarizing Mr. Trump’s response.
dedanschubs on July 30th, 2021 at 15:58 UTC »
How many times did Trump have to get told by different officials "you're being told false information, we don't find any of this to be true," yet still respond with - I don't care, what about this other random BS? Just say it's stolen so we can use your officialness to keep this grift going.
Impossible-Garden594 on July 30th, 2021 at 15:39 UTC »
So the entirety of his plan was to have everyone in govt lie for him 🤔🤔
kneeco28 on July 30th, 2021 at 15:39 UTC »
What a clown. What a sad, stupid clown.