Officials working on Trump’s campaign and his administration have told Trump they have found no basis for a wide range of allegations that emerged after his defeat in November, including reports of a “suspicious suitcase” containing fake ballot papers. who carried ballots to Pennsylvania, computer chips were exchanged for voting machines and unbridled fraudulent voting in Arizona. “I thought, my boy, if he really believes these things he has lost touch with, he will be detached from reality,” said William Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general and has long been known as a Republican. president. In a video, Barr blatantly dismissed the allegations of fraud as “bullshit” and “crazy stuff.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “There has never been a show of interest in the facts,” he said. The Democratic-led House Select Committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol by thousands of Trump supporters presented its findings at a second public hearing this month on its nearly annual insurgency investigation. Monday’s hearing sought to assert that Trump ignored the advice of many of his own officials when he claimed he had been “stolen” in the 2020 presidential election and encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol. “He and his closest advisers knew these allegations were false, but they continued to circulate them anyway, until a large number of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol,” said Democratic spokeswoman Zoe Lofgren. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly insisted that he did not lose, dismissing the Select Committee investigation as a political witch-hunt. Polls show that many of Trump’s supporters continue to believe his false allegations about the election. Some are now vying for office to oversee future elections. Trump has hinted that he will run for president again in 2024, but has not announced any decision.
THE CAMPAIGN “DID NOT DO ITS CASE”
An ad asking for donations for former US President Donald Trump appears as evidence and appeared on a screen above US spokeswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), President Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Vice President , U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) and U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) Hold a Second Public Hearing at the U.S. House Selection Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the United States Capitol , at Capitol Hill, Washington, USA, June 13, 2022. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst read more Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager, said he had advised Trump on election night to avoid any declaration of victory and instead say that votes were still being counted. But Trump went on television to preemptively declare victory. Matthew Morgan, Trump’s chief lawyer, said in a videotaped allegation that allegations of fraud would not change the outcome of the election. Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who resigned as U.S. attorney in Atlanta as Trump camp camp challenged Georgia’s election results, said he found no evidence of fraud in that state. Referring to the suspicious suitcase that allegedly contained fake or tampered ballots, Pak said, sitting at the witness table: “The alleged black suitcase that was pulled under the table was a formal lock box.” Al Schmidt, the only Republican on the Philadelphia Electoral College who came under fire after defending the integrity of the 2020 vote, also appeared and dismissed allegations about his state. “Not only were there no figures for the 8,000 dead voters who voted in Pennsylvania – there were no figures for eight,” he said. Georgia and Pennsylvania were among the states that backed Trump in the 2016 election but backed Biden in 2020. They have been at the center of baseless allegations of electoral fraud. Ben Ginsberg, a prominent Republican electoral lawyer, said he had examined practices in 180 counties and found no evidence of credible electoral fraud. “Trump’s campaign did not do its job,” he said. Monday’s meeting was followed by an over-productive hearing Thursday night in which Trump’s close allies – even Trump’s daughter Ivanka – rejected his false allegations of vote rigging. read more Nearly 20 million Americans watched the unusual audition that aired during peak hours of high-viewing television. Four people were killed on the day of the attack, one was fatally shot by police and the others by natural causes. About 140 police officers were injured and one died the next day. Four officers later committed suicide. Nearly 850 people have been arrested for insurgency-related crimes, including more than 250 accused of attacking or obstructing law enforcement. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Patricia Zengerle, Richard Cowan and Doina Chiacu, additional by Susan Heavey. Editing by Andy Sullivan and Alistair Bell Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
