Conservative Lawyer’s Emails Reveal Plot to Overturn 2020 Election Results
Just five days after Election Day in 2020, a conservative lawyer named Kenneth Chesebro emailed a former judge working for the Trump campaign in Wisconsin, James R. Troupis, with a controversial idea to overturn the election results. The plan involved alleging “various systemic abuses” through litigation and encouraging legislatures to appoint “alternative” pro-Trump electors.
The email, released as part of a lawsuit settlement, sheds light on the early stages of what would later become known as the false elector plot. Chesebro’s memos, central to the indictment of Donald J. Trump, detailed a strategy that aimed to create confusion and potentially throw the election to the House.
Troupis quickly brought Chesebro into the Trump legal team, leading to a meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House. The documents reveal how the Trump campaign’s litigation strategy was more about political cover than winning in court.
The settlement of the lawsuit against Chesebro and Troupis included an admission that President Biden won the election, as well as an agreement not to engage in similar schemes in the future. The settlement also involved a payment to the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit was filed by a progressive law firm on behalf of legitimate Wisconsin presidential electors and voters. The director of Georgetown’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection stated that the fraudulent electors plot originated in Wisconsin, with Troupis and Chesebro concocting the scheme.
Chesebro’s memos were central to the federal indictment of Trump, with prosecutors describing the campaign’s plans as a criminal plot to derail the certification of Biden as president-elect. The documents also revealed a strategy put forward by a conservative lawyer and Trump that a federal judge referred to as a “coup in search of a legal theory.”
The emails and text messages exchanged between Chesebro and Troupis provide new details on their efforts to advance the false elector plot, including interactions with members of Congress and celebrations before the violent events of January 6, 2021.
The settlement of the lawsuit marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The emails and memos released as part of the settlement offer a glimpse into the inner workings of the Trump campaign’s legal strategy and the role played by key figures like Chesebro and Troupis.
