Trump is reportedly considering turning Sydney Powell into a special adviser on election fraud

President Donald Trump has asked key advisers about appointing a controversial lawyer who was previously involved in his campaign as a special adviser – and has not – been accused of overseeing the investigation into voter fraud. New York Times.

That lawyer, Sidney Powell, has a reputation for spreading in recent weeks Conspiracy theories For President-elect Joe Biden, voting machines for filing legal documents are about to be rigged Basic errors abound, And for being abrupt Trump was removed from the campaign law committee. By appointing Powell as a special adviser, Trump will raise his false claims and present the already proven attacks on the presidential election as a misdirection of legitimacy.

According to Times reporters Maggie Heberman and Solan Kanno-Youngs, Trump held a meeting at the White House on Friday to weigh whether Powell could be named a special adviser to investigate allegations of mass voter fraud in last month’s presidential election.

The meeting is said to have been attended by current and former Trump allies, including the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, Powell, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, and O’Brien’s predecessor, former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn and Trump reportedly discussed imposing martial law in an attempt to use the military to force states to hold military elections again. Flynn has backed petitions for Trump Use powers in rebel law In 1807, it authorized a president to deploy troops to quell an armed uprising. Powell also retweeted a call for Trump to use these powers to establish “military tribunals.”

In a recent interview with the conservative cable news channel Newsmax, Flynn came up with the idea of ​​declaring martial law to thwart elections, saying, “People there are talking about martial law, something we have never done. Martial law has been established 64 times. ”

Sources Times and Politics Trump was interested in the idea; However, the military dismissed it, saying it had “no role” in Friday’s U.S. election. Trump has said these statements are false. Tweeting, “Defensive law = fake news. Still knowingly bad report! ”

There was also reportedly a discussion about how to control the voting machines that were allegedly compromised for the exam. However, voting officials did not find that the machines had caused a wide range of errors – and in states such as Georgia there were some minor errors in the number of details. Giuliani recently backed a plan by the Department of Homeland Security to seize these machines; However, the department reportedly told him it could not be done.

According to the Times, several Trump advisers who attended the meeting – including White House adviser Pat Cipolon and staff leader Mark Meadows – reportedly pushed back Powell’s ideas and plans, and some suggested reconsidering whether he should be considered a special adviser. But Trump is said to have identified support for her and is questioning whether she should get security clearance.

Trump has been arguing for the appointment of a special adviser to investigate his claims about the election, since it is clear he will fail.

Trump also wants special advice to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden. This is one of the reasons why he left with US Attorney General William Barr Judicial inquiry into Hunter Biden, But in order to avoid political interference, the post-election investigation worked to remain public knowledge. Barr publicly admitted that there was no evidence of widespread electoral fraud. He has since announced plans to step down before Christmas.

A special consultation on election fraud will give a legitimate air to conspiracy theories

It is not clear whether Trump will actually appoint Powell – or anyone else – to investigate the fraud as a special adviser during his days in office.

As Vox Jennifer Williams Specialized advisers are usually appointed by the U.S. Attorney General, and that advice is overseen by the Attorney General. Barr may ask Trump to appoint Powell, but it is not clear if he will do so, and Barr is due to resign on Wednesday.

In his absence, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen will be in charge of the task. According to Politics, Rosen declined to say whether he plans to name a special adviser, and DOJ spokesmen did not comment. USA Today He notes that he has promised to avoid political interference in his 2019 confirmation inquiry, telling lawmakers, “If anyone says no to the appropriate answer, I will say no.”

If his judiciary refuses to cooperate, Trump could name a special adviser without DOJ support. But that person will be fundamentally deficient, lacking federal law enforcement resources, subpoena power or the ability to set up a large arbitral tribunal.

The other possibility is that in the final weeks of his term in office, Trump could remove Roshan and appoint someone more likely to replace him, although it is not immediately clear who that person is.

Nevertheless, special advisers are interested in Trump, who has been under investigation since his first year in office amid a study of foreign interference in the 2016 election.

One step CNN report, He has raised the opportunity to use their powers to impose his own priorities in the final days of his tenure, including reducing Biden’s administrative priorities on the way out the door.

Having special advice on election fraud is a powerful legacy. The Powell administration may face pressure not to intervene in a special consultative inquiry, even one led by a discriminating actor like Powell, ensuring that the debate over the legitimacy of the last election continues at the federal level. Office.