In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump’s legal challenges to the election results were repeatedly rejected by the courts. Lawyers who directly participated in his efforts to overturn the election outcome were ultimately sanctioned and faced criminal prosecution, with some even being sued for millions of dollars in damages.
However, this time, the Republican leadership is working on a more organized, skilled, and professional legal action. The Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley told the Associated Press, “It is crucial to ensure that we have a completely professional operation in all aspects.”
Trump has consistently denied his defeat in the 2020 election, with his legal team working diligently to refine election rules in time to challenge any potential unfairness in the upcoming elections.
This year, the RNC launched a coordinated “Election Integrity” initiative, recruiting thousands of lawyers, poll watchers, and election workers. Officials assert that they will operate within the bounds of the law.
Whatley stated, “In the past six months, we have filed over 130 lawsuits; everything we see in court proves that we are working with states and courts to develop and implement truly responsible plans.”
Key lawyers currently playing significant roles in the Republican legal team include Steven Kenny, a senior legal advisor to the RNC who previously worked at the prominent Jones Day law firm; Gineen Bresso, who was nominated by former President George W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and later became its chair; Josh Helton, the former chief legal advisor to Mike Huckabee’s 2016 presidential campaign; and David Warrington, who represented Trump in the January 6th Capitol investigation.
Earlier this year, the RNC appointed Christina Bobb to lead its Election Integrity division.
So far, RNC lawsuits aim to ensure voter identification requirements, restrict non-citizen voting, and challenge lenient rules regarding mail-in and absentee voting.
Democrats have raised objections to the Republican “Election Integrity” initiative, claiming that it seeks to sow distrust in the election process and pave the way for challenges in case Trump loses again.
Democrats warn that election deniers placed in voting-related positions may refuse to certify legitimate results. They have assembled a team of senior lawyers, including Democrat Marc Elias, to challenge rules in states like Georgia, fearing that Trump’s allies might exploit these rules to delay or avoid certification.
Last week, a judge declared seven provisions in Georgia’s election commission’s rules to be invalid.
Trump continues to insist on fraud in the last election, despite judges, election officials, and even his appointed attorney general finding no evidence to support his claims.
Shortly after the 2020 election, Whatley had spoken of “massive fraud” in radio interviews, but in 2021, he stated in an interview that Biden was “absolutely” legitimately elected.
On Monday, Trump stood alongside Whatley in North Carolina, praising his efforts in 2020 to “work very hard to stop cheating.”
Trump stated that there is no evidence of cheating in the 2024 election so far. Nevertheless, he continues to question the election process and urges his supporters to vote to make the election tally “too big to manipulate.”
As Trump’s lawyer in the last election, Rudy Giuliani had his license revoked in New York and Washington; Jenna Ellis lost hers in Colorado. Both were among the 19 defendants accused in Fulton County’s Georgia court conspiracy case to overturn the election along with Sidney Powell, another key lawyer promoting Trump’s claims.
Powell and Ellis have both pleaded guilty.
Giuliani was ordered by the court to pay $148 million to two former Georgia poll workers for spreading lies about them in 2020, disrupting their lives. Giuliani subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
(This article references reports from the Associated Press)