Tag

#2020-election

4 incidents

Updated July 1, 2024 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

January 6: Capitol Insurrection, Incitement, Second Impeachment, Supreme Court Immunity

For hours after the Capitol was breached, Trump did not issue a clear call to stop; his 2:44 PM tweet telling rioters they were 'very special' and he 'loved' them was posted while the attack was ongoing. Congressional Republicans and aides documented attempts to get Trump to intervene that he ignored or dismissed. The second impeachment passed with 10 Republican House votes — the most bipartisan presidential impeachment vote in U.S. history. Senate Minority Leader McConnell stated on the Senate floor that Trump was 'practically and morally responsible' for January 6 before voting against conviction on jurisdictional grounds. The Supreme Court's July 1, 2024 immunity ruling effectively ended the federal prosecution.

Sources
4
January-6insurrectionimpeachmentpost-presidencyrule-of-law
Updated January 7, 2021 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

2020 Election Fraud Claims: 60+ Court Losses, No Evidence Found

Trump's legal team, led at various points by Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, made dramatic claims in press conferences — coordinated election fraud, Dominion Voting Systems switching votes, Venezuelan electoral interference, suitcases of fake ballots — that were not supported by evidence filed in court. Judges demanded evidence; Trump's lawyers repeatedly stated in court filings that they were not alleging fraud, only procedural irregularities. CISA Director Christopher Krebs called the 2020 election 'the most secure in American history'; Trump fired him. Attorney General Barr stated the DOJ had found no evidence of fraud sufficient to change the outcome; Trump pressured him to say otherwise and Barr resigned.

Sources
4
election-fraud2020-electioncourt-lossespost-presidencyrule-of-law
Updated November 3, 2020 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Postal Service Sabotage: DeJoy Changes, Mail Slowdowns Before 2020 Election

Louis DeJoy was appointed Postmaster General in May 2020 despite having no postal service background and being a major Republican donor. Within weeks, DeJoy implemented changes including eliminating overtime (which slowed mail delivery), removing letter-sorting machines (which processed mail faster), reducing post office hours, and ordering trucks to depart on schedule rather than wait for mail. Mail piled up. First-class mail delivery times — the metric by which election mail is typically processed — deteriorated significantly. Trump simultaneously told Fox Business the slowdown was deliberate, saying he was withholding USPS funding specifically because it would facilitate mail-in voting he opposed.

Sources
4
USPSDeJoymail-in-votingfirst-termrule-of-law
Updated September 21, 2020 Rule of Law
Major Abuse of Power

DeJoy USPS Sabotage: Removed Sorting Machines, Slowed Mail Before 2020 Election

DeJoy's operational changes caused immediate and documented mail delays across the country. The changes were implemented months before the presidential election in which mail-in voting was expected to reach record levels due to COVID. Trump stated publicly that he was blocking Post Office funding to prevent mail-in voting. USPS removed 671 high-speed mail-sorting machines; some were dismantled before DeJoy announced a suspension of the changes in response to congressional and legal pressure. Multiple states sued. The sorting machine removals were not reversed even after the suspension.

Sources
4
USPSDeJoymail-in-voting2020-electionfirst-term