Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, pressured the Justice Department to investigate unfounded election conspiracies during the final weeks of the Trump presidency. The New York Times reports:
“In five emails sent during the last week of December and early January, Mr. Meadows asked Jeffrey A. Rosen, then the acting attorney general, to examine debunked claims of election fraud in New Mexico and an array of baseless conspiracies that held that Mr. Trump had been the actual victor. That included a fantastical theory that people in Italy had used military technology and satellites to remotely tamper with voting machines in the United States and switch votes for Mr. Trump to votes for Joseph R. Biden Jr.”
The Times also reports none of the emails show Mr. Rosen agreeing to investigate any of the bogus claims.
While Mr. Meadows involvement in Trump’s attempts to overthrow the election have been known, this is the first reporting on the emails asking for a government investigation.
“This new evidence underscores the depths of the White House’s efforts to co-opt the department and influence the electoral vote certification. I will demand all evidence of Trump’s efforts to weaponize the Justice Department in his election subversion scheme.”
Sen. Dick durbin (d-Illinois)
