Donald Trump Jr. reportedly texted Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows ideas to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election while votes were still being tallied.
According to an exclusive CNN report Trump Jr. texted Meadows on November 5 laying out ideas for keeping his father in power by subverting the Electoral College process
Trump Jr. wrote that they have “operational control” to ensure his father would get a second term, with Republican majorities in the US Senate and swing state legislatures.
“It’s very simple,” Trump Jr. wrote, adding later: “We have multiple paths We control them all.”
In the text, Trump Jr. referenced filing lawsuits and advocating recounts to prevent certain swing states from certifying their results. Then, if secretaries of state were unable to certify the results, by two key dates in December, Republicans should press their advantage by having Republican-controlled state assemblies “step in” and put forward separate slates of “Trump electors.”
“Republicans control Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina etc we get Trump electors,” Trump Jr. writes.
The strategy was similar to those floated in Republican circles in the days leading up to the certification of electoral votes in Congress on Jan. 6.
Former Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry sent a similar text to Meadows on Nov. 4.
“HERE’s an AGRESSIVE (sic) STRATEGY: Why can t (sic) the states of GA NC PENN and other R controlled state houses declare this is BS (where conflicts and election not called that night) and just send their own electors to vote and have it go to the SCOTUS,” Perry’s text message read.
Trump Jr also texted Meadows a back-up plan if they failed to overturn the election at the state level.
He said lawmakers could intervene on Jan. 6 and dismiss the will of voters leading to a scenario where neither Trump nor Biden has the 270 electoral votes need to become president. The House would then vote by state party delegation, with each state getting one vote.
“Republicans control 28 states Democrats 22 states,” Trump Jr. texts. “Once again Trump wins.”
“We have operational control Total leverage,” Trump Jr. wrote. “Moral High Ground POTUS must start 2nd term now.”
For his second term Trump Jr. told Meadows that they should fire dissidents like White House coronavirus adviser Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray and replace them with Trump loyalists. He proposes making former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell interim head of the FBI and having then-Attorney General Bill Barr “select Special prosecutor on HardDrivefromHell Biden crime family,” according to CNN.
Trump Jr’s lawyers told CNN in a statement that, “after the election, Don received numerous messages from supporters and others. Given the date, this message likely originated from someone else and was forwarded.”
The text is among records obtained by the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021.
