Conservative commentator Karl Rove says a newly reported phone call by Donald Trump to Michigan canvassers during the 2020 election could pose more legal strife for the ex-president.
Recordings of the phone call, obtained by The Detroit News, appear to show that Trump attempted to convince two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, not to certify the state's 2020 election results in favor of Joe Biden, who won Michigan by a narrow margin. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was also on the call.
The former president is alleged to have told Palmer and Hartmann on November 17, 2020, that the two would look "terrible" if they signed documents certifying the election after initially voting against it.
"We've got to fight for our country," Trump said. "We can't let these people take our country away from us." McDaniel later said in the call, "If you can go home tonight, do not sign it ... We will get you attorneys," to which Trump added: "We'll take care of that."
Rove: I think the former president has a problem with this. They had voted to certify the election, he attempted to force them to change their decision, which they tried to do, I think this is what we would call election interference. pic.twitter.com/POLeiVX3Cf — Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2023
Rove, a Republican who served as President George W. Bush's senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, said Friday on Fox News that the call presents another "problem" for Trump.
"They had voted to certify the election, he attempted to force them to change their decision, which they tried to do," Rove said. "I think this is what we would call election interference."
Karl Rove is pictured on April 29, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California. Rove on Friday said that a phone call involving Donald Trump from Michigan's 2020 election could spell more legal trouble for the former president. Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Trump has been criminally indicted in Georgia and Washington, D.C., accused of attempting to overturn his loss to President Biden in the 2020 election.
In D.C., Trump faces federal felony counts in the election subversion case brought by Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith. The ex-president is charged with trying to reverse the election outcome and over his activities surrounding the subsequent January 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump is facing 13 felony charges in Fulton County, Georgia, where he is accused of illegally attempting to overturn his 2020 statewide loss. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed an August 5 trial date for the former president and 14 of his co-defendants.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases.
"Just as he got into trouble in Georgia for a similar act, calling the secretary of state and saying, 'Find me 11,000 some-odd more votes, this is a problem," Rove said. "The former president should not have been doing this.
"These people are supposedly independent officials who are supposed to certify the election based upon their review of the process and the procedures in place, and he's attempting to get them to change their opinion after the fact."
Rove added: "This is not a good move if accurate and if this tape is true, the former president has created another problem for himself."