Trump advisers express pessimism privately
Election challenges suffer from lack of evidence in court
Six states where President Donald Trump has threatened to challenge his defeat continued their march toward declaring certified election results in the coming weeks, as his advisers privately acknowledged that President-elect Joe Biden’s official victory is less a question of “if ” than “when.”
Trump began the day tweeting about “BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE” as he and his allies touted unproved claims that election fraud had tainted the election in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Vice President Mike Pence gave a presentation to GOP senators on Capitol Hill about new litigation expected in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia — imploring them to stick with the president, according several Republicans in the room.
But even some of the president’s most publicly pugilistic aides, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Mcdaniel and informal adviser Corey Lewandowski, have said privately that they are concerned about the lawsuits’ chances for success unless more evidence surfaces, according to people familiar with their views.
Trump met with advisers again Tuesday afternoon to discuss whether there is a path forward, said a person with knowledge of the discussions, who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. The person said Trump plans to keep fighting but understands it is going to be difficult. “He is all over the place. It changes from hour to hour,” the person said.
In the states, Democratic and some Republican officials said they have seen no evidence of fraud on a scale sufficient to overturn the results. “There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud,” one GOP official in Georgia said.
The vote counting, meanwhile, continued apace as the states work toward certifying the vote, a process that should largely be finished by the beginning of December. In Georgia, the deadline for county certification is Friday, but the majority of counties had already completed the task by Tuesday afternoon. Next comes a statewide audit, after which Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, must certify the results no later than Nov. 20.
In Arizona, county canvassing results go to the secretary of state, who must certify on Nov. 30, the fourth Monday after the election, a deadline that can be extended just a few days to accommodate missing county totals. Michigan state law requires certification on Nov. 23. In Nevada, the date is Nov. 24, while in Wisconsin, it is typically Dec. 1. In Pennsylvania, there is no statewide deadline for certification, but counties must certify their results by Nov. 23.
Multiple election officials and legal scholars said there is little Trump can do to stop the process. Even where the opportunity for a challenge exists, it rests on difference-making evidence of wrongdoing — which the Trump campaign has not presented.
Opportunities to challenge the results remain, however — and if Trump takes them, it could delay the ultimate outcome, several election officials said.