The Trump regime has indicated that it expects weeks, if not months, of recounts and court battles ahead over the election results showing Joe Biden as the winner, and recounts and court battles don't come cheap, unless you thought Trump the "billionaire" was going to pay for it out of his own pocket.
The Republican National Committee has reached out to donors as it seeks to raise at least $60 million to fund legal challenges brought by President Donald Trump over the results of the U.S. presidential election, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in several states following the Nov. 3 election pitting the president against Democrat Joe Biden.
“They want $60 million,” said a Republican donor who received solicitations from the RNC.
One last grift before they hit the road, and undoubtedly some of this will find its way into the pockets of lawyers, media moguls, and Trump himself. Of course, Trump using his office to run his campaign is finally starting to get noticed for its clearly criminal aspect, too.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has opened an investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign’s use of the White House as an Election Day command center violated federal law, Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell said on Thursday.
In a statement, Pascrell said the federal watchdog responded on Thursday to his call for a probe, telling him a special unit “has opened an investigation into these allegations to determine if the Hatch Act was violated.”
President Donald Trump monitored election returns in the living room of the White House residence on Tuesday, later addressing some 200 supporters gathered in the East Room.
Pascrell had asked the special counsel, Henry Kerner, to investigate reports suggesting that Trump used space in the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building - on the grounds of the White House - as a campaign “war room.”
The New Jersey lawmaker said Trump was also expected to be briefed in the White House residence and the Oval Office throughout the day by campaign officials, which he said put executive branch officials at risk of violating federal law.
The Hatch Act of 1939 limits the political activities of federal employees, except the president and vice president.
The White House denied any violation of the federal law. “Both the official activity of Administration officials, as well as any political activity undertaken by members of the Administration, are conducted in compliance with the Hatch Act,” said spokesman Judd Deere.
The lame duck period is going to be another 75 days of hell for America, but this time Trump may actually feel the heat too. But Trump isn't going anywhere, for now.
Facing a disappearing pathway to victory, President Donald Trump offered little indication on Friday he was prepared to concede defeat, leading those around him to wonder who might be able to reckon with a leader who has given virtually no thought to leaving the White House.
Even as vote totals now show him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in key battlegrounds, Trump has not prepared a concession speech and in conversations with allies in recent days has said he has no intention of conceding the election, people familiar with the matter said.
So far he has been bolstered in his stance by those closest to him, including his senior advisers and his adult sons, who have mounted an aggressive effort in the courts to challenge the results and have pressured other Republicans into defending him.
Top aides, including his chief of staff Mark Meadows, have not attempted to come to terms with the President about the reality of what is happening. Instead, they have fed his baseless claim that the election is being stolen from underneath him. That has led to some annoyance among staff, who believe Meadows is feeding the President's baseless claim that the election is illegitimate.
Vice President Mike Pence -- who has not been seen since the early hours of Wednesday morning -- is doing his part to appease Trump by soliciting funds for his legal defense fund.
Trump is not scheduled to appear in public on Friday, though an appearance at some point has not been ruled out. He spent the morning angry and frustrated, watching television while griping more people weren't defending him on the airwaves.
Not only will Trump never concede, he doesn't have to. But he won't be President anymore in 75 days, either.
As to where the country is 75 days from now, that's anybody's guess. There's a lot of room for catastrophic damage in these next couple of months that could take a lifetime to fix, and everyone knows it.
And fears it.
No comments:
Post a Comment