Earlier this week, Flynn suggested to President-elect Joe Biden that Trump could implement martial law as part of an effort to thwart the failed election – an idea that resurfaced during a meeting at the Oval Office. It is unclear whether Trump endorsed the idea, but others in the room were forcibly pushed back and shot.
White House aides who attended the meeting, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and adviser Pat Cipolon, vigorously pushed back the suggestion that Powell be named special adviser to investigate allegations of voter fraud that Trump’s own administration dismissed (or, more likely, hired her in management for some sort of investigative role). Powell has focused his conspiracies on the voting machines, and has suggested that a special adviser should test the machines for defects.
Another idea floating in the crowd was an executive order allowing the government access to voting machines to inspect them.
One person described the crowd as “ugly” because others accused Powell and Flynn of abandoning the presidency in order to overturn the election results.
“It was hot – people at the Oval were really fighting it, they were really strong about it,” one of the sources said.
Among Trump ‘s aides, and those who have faced his previous controversies, a source described what he might do next at the end of his term.
The memo, which was viewed by CNN, refers to a letter Dominion sent to Powell this week, urging him to publicly withdraw his allegations and advising campaign staff not to alter, destroy or reject relevant records.
A serious internal rift has developed within Trump’s campaign following the election, and tensions are high between the campaign’s public adviser, Matt Morgan, who sent the memo on Saturday, and Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Although the campaign once distanced itself from Powell, Trump, according to many familiar with his views, has been urging others to fight like himself. He has heard many more of his arguments on television, often filled with unsubstantiated and conspiracy theories.
This report has been updated with additional reporting.
Caitlin Collins contributed to this report.
