Trump Officials Attended Summit of Election Deniers Urging Presidential Takeover of Midterms

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

Federal Officials Convened with Election Deniers Advocating for Presidential Intervention

A recent summit brought together high-ranking federal election officials and prominent figures who previously worked to overturn the 2020 election results. Sources indicate that these individuals pressed the President to declare a national emergency, aiming to assert control over the upcoming midterm elections. This gathering underscores a growing effort to persuade the President to take unprecedented actions that could significantly impact the November legislative contests.

According to videos, photographs, and social media posts reviewed by ProPublica, attendees included Kurt Olsen, a White House lawyer tasked with reinvestigating the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, a Department of Homeland Security official responsible for election integrity. The event was organized by Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to Donald Trump, and included Cleta Mitchell, director of the Election Integrity Network, a group known for disseminating false claims about election fraud and non-citizen voting. Election experts express alarm that this meeting reflects an intensifying push to influence the President's actions regarding the electoral process.

The legal challenges and legislative efforts aimed at reshaping election rules have faced significant hurdles. Courts have largely blocked the administration's attempts to alter election procedures via executive orders, and proposed legislation in Congress mandating strict voter ID requirements nationwide has stalled. The Washington Post reported that activists associated with summit attendees are circulating a draft executive order proposing a federal takeover of elections, which would include banning mail-in ballots and dismantling voting machines. Peter Ticktin, a lawyer involved in drafting this executive order, confirmed to ProPublica that these actions are part of a coordinated effort.

This summit follows a series of previously unreported meetings and discussions between administration officials and activists, dating back to at least last fall, as revealed by emails and recordings obtained by ProPublica. Experts in U.S. elections view this coordination between government insiders and external activists as a critical breakdown of established safeguards. Brendan Fischer, director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, stated, "The meeting shows that the same people who tried to overturn the 2020 election have only grown better organized and are now embedded in the machinery of government." He warned, "This creates substantial risk that the administration is laying the groundwork to improperly reshape elections ahead of the midterms or even go against the will of the voters."

Efforts to obtain comments from the federal officials who attended were largely unsuccessful. Five of the six federal officials present did not respond to ProPublica's inquiries. An anonymous White House official sought to downplay the significance of the attendance, stating that it should not be interpreted as support for a national emergency declaration and that communication between staffers and outside advocates is common practice. The official also referenced comments made by Trump to PBS News, where he denied considering a national emergency or reviewing the draft executive order, characterizing any speculation about future policies as just that—speculation.

Historically, Trump has voiced openness to a federal takeover of elections as a strategy to mitigate anticipated Republican losses in November. In a recent interview with conservative podcaster Dan Bongino, he reiterated the need for Republicans to "take over" elections and "nationalize the voting."

Cleta Mitchell did not respond to questions regarding the summit. A spokesperson for Michael Flynn responded dismissively to detailed inquiries, texting "LOL 'EXPERTS'" in reference to those expressing concerns.

The roundtable discussion, held on February 19th in a Washington D.C. office building, was sponsored by the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a conservative think tank. Photos reviewed by ProPublica show that activists and government officials dined together following the event. Michael Flynn, chairman of the institute, explained the event's purpose to a social media personality, stating he wanted to convene the group physically because most had only met online while "fighting battles" in swing states. He emphasized the goal was to ensure the group wasn't "operating in our own little bubbles." Flynn has consistently advocated for Trump to declare a national emergency, posting on social media after the event, "We The People want fair elections and we know there is only one office in the land that can make that happen given the current political environment in the United States."

In addition to Olsen and Honey, four other federal officials from agencies involved in election administration attended. At least four of these six participated in the subsequent dinner.

Clay Parikh, a special government employee at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assisting Olsen with the 2020 inquiry, was among the attendees. An ODNI spokesperson clarified that Parikh attended "in his personal capacity."

Mac Warner, who handled election litigation at the Justice Department, was another attendee. A DOJ spokesperson stated that Warner resigned the day after the summit and had not obtained the required ethics approval for participation. The department reiterated its commitment to upholding electoral integrity and ensuring elections remain free, fair, and transparent.

Marci McCarthy, who directs communications for a federal cyber defense agency overseeing election infrastructure security, also attended the summit.

Kari Lake, appointed by Trump as a senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was a featured speaker. Lake, who had previously worked with Olsen and Parikh in her unsuccessful bid to overturn her 2022 gubernatorial election loss in Arizona, stated in an email that she spoke for approximately 20 minutes on the importance of election integrity, describing it as a non-partisan issue. She added that she left the event without hearing other speeches and that "Elections should be free from fraud or any other malfeasance that subverts the will of the people."

During the meeting, activists reportedly presented proposals for transforming American elections, aiming to facilitate [...] (Original source text incomplete)

Ekhbary News Agency