Newly released emails show Trump pressured the Justice Department over his oft-repeated (and baseless) claims of election fraud.
On Tuesday, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney—the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform—shared documents showing Trump’s attempts at pressuring the DOJ to overturn the 2020 election results.
“These documents show that President Trump tried to corrupt our nation’s chief law enforcement agency in a brazen attempt to overturn an election that he lost,” Maloney said in a press release on Tuesday. “Those who aided or witnessed President Trump’s unlawful actions must answer the Committee’s questions about this attempted subversion of democracy. My Committee is committed to ensuring that the events leading to the violent January 6 insurrection are fully investigated.”
Among the highlights of the newly released emails, per a breakdown from the Committee, is that Trump—through his White House assistant—sent an email with the subject “From POTUS” to Jeffrey Rosen in mid-December of last year. At the time, Rosen was the Deputy Attorney General. The email, among other things, included “talking points” in which the 2020 election was likened to a cover-up. Minutes later, Rosen—through his assistant—sent the same documents to Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, who passed them on to U.S. Attorneys in Michigan via his assistant.
Later that same day, Trump announced that Attorney General Barr would be stepping down, with Rosen being made Acting Attorney General and Donoghue being made Acting Deputy Attorney General.
The emails, per the Committee, also show that Trump used a private attorney to pressure the DOJ and did the same during meetings with department officials. Furthermore, now-former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also pressured DOJ officials “at least five times.”
Later on Tuesday, the Committee is set to hold another hearing focused on the fatal Capitol riot, which—as is well-documented—was preceded by months of baseless voter fraud claims. Un February, a federal lawsuit was filed against Trump—as well as Rudy Giuliani, Proud Boys, and Oath Keepers—in connection with the events of Jan. 6. The suit was filed in D.C. by the NAACP and the civil rights law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll on behalf of Congressman Bennie Thompson.
“While the majority of Republicans in the Senate abdicated their responsibility to hold the President accountable, we must hold him accountable for the insurrection that he so blatantly planned,” Thompson said at the time.
