Republicans are getting the band back together as it reassembles much of Donald Trump's 2020 legal effort ahead of the midterm elections, according to a new report by The New York Times based on campaign finance and legal filings.
"At least three dozen lawyers and law firms that advanced Donald J. Trump's failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election are now working for Republican candidates, parties and other groups, filing lawsuits and other complaints that could lay the groundwork for challenging the results of midterm elections," the newspaper reported. "Though the 2020 legal push failed, with just one victory out of more than 60 lawsuits, scores of lawyers behind it have continued to work on election litigation.
The list includes both law firms that filed, but then withdrew lawsuits along with those who spent months challenging the election results.
"On that list are Cleta Mitchell and John Eastman, two lawyers who helped devise Mr. Trump's legal strategy in 2020 and are now mobilizing activists to hunt for evidence of fraud in the midterm count," the newspaper reported. "Lawyers with the Thomas More Society, a conservative legal group that tried to push the so-called fake electors proposal through the courts after the 2020 election, have recently filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania disputing how officials handle absentee ballots."
The effort may quickly spread beyond the courtroom. Historian Tim Naftali wrote, "We don't how many seats each party will win next week. But we live in a political climate where if there isn't a Red Wave, the GOP elite may likely not accept many of the results."
He's not the only one worried about what happens after the polls close.
"Election lawyers and administrators say they fear 2020 may have ushered in a sea change in election law," The Times reported. "With less than a week to go before Election Day, the 2022 midterms have had an avalanche of litigation. More than 115 cases have been filed this year, with a roughly even split between groups aligned with Republicans and Democrats, according to Democracy Docket, a left-leaning website that tracks election litigation. At this point in 2020, fewer than 70 lawsuits had been filed."
The newspaper reported GOP groups have spent more than $10 million on "firms or lawyers who helped with the 2020 litigation effort."
Read the full report.
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