Title: Lawyer’s Internal Memo Exposes Trump Team’s Plot to Subvert 2020 Election
Subtitle: Memo reveals controversial strategy involving false slates of electors and voter fraud claims
Date: [Include date]
In a recent indictment against former President Donald J. Trump, a previously unknown internal campaign memo has come to light, shedding new light on his team’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election. The memo, dated December 6, 2020, was authored by lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, a Trump ally, and outlined a plot to use false slates of electors to manipulate the outcome of the election.
While the memo acknowledged that the Supreme Court would likely reject the strategy, it proposed two goals: drawing attention to claims of voter fraud and buying more time for litigation that could potentially alter the electoral votes in favor of Trump.
This memo fills a crucial missing piece in understanding how Trump’s allies developed their strategy to overturn Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory. The plan involved false Trump electors casting their votes on December 14th, followed by Vice President Mike Pence unilaterally counting those votes on January 6, 2021, instead of the certified ones for Biden.
The memo also detailed a proposed “messaging” strategy to explain why pro-Trump electors were meeting in states where Biden had already been declared the winner. Chesebro suggested presenting these actions as routine measures necessary to ensure that the correct electoral slates could be counted by Congress if courts or legislatures later concluded that Trump had actually won those states.
This was not the first time Chesebro had suggested creating alternate electors. In November, he proposed the idea for Wisconsin as a precaution in case Trump won a court battle and was declared the certified winner of the state by January 6.
However, the December 6 memo, referred to by prosecutors as the “fraudulent elector memo,” marked a “sharp departure” from previous proposals and laid the foundation for what prosecutors have described as a criminal plot to derail the certification of Biden as president-elect.
The memo prompted specific instructions from Chesebro to create fraudulent electors in multiple states, further solidifying the plan. Although Chesebro has not been charged, he has been identified as “Co-Conspirator 5” in the indictment.
The false electors scheme was a central component of Trump’s various efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. It involved lawyers across multiple states and dozens of electors willing to claim that Trump had won their respective states. However, it faced resistance from some potential electors who deemed the plan illegal or treasonous.
While Chesebro was one of the architects of the scheme, John Eastman, referred to as “Co-Conspirator 2,” played a key role in championing the plan and working closely with Trump.
Prosecutors are continuing their investigations into the matter, and more evidence is expected to emerge. Chesebro’s memo, along with the previous ones, was sent to allies in various states involved in the fake electors plan.
The newly disclosed memo lays out an audacious idea for Vice President Pence to count alternate electors for Trump, even if Biden remained the certified winner of those states. The memo reached Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, who has been referred to as “Co-Conspirator 1.”
Chesebro supported his arguments by referencing legal writings from prominent scholars, including Laurence H. Tribe, a Harvard Law School professor. However, Tribe has disputed Chesebro’s interpretation of his work, asserting that it was a “gross misrepresentation.”
As the investigations continue, it remains to be seen how these revelations will impact the legal battle surrounding the 2020 election and the individuals involved in the plot to subvert it.