“…of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants.”
– Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers, No. 1
As the United States approaches the November 2024 presidential election, it is crucial for voters to think clearly on the facts and reflect on the consequences of electing a leader who has shown himself to be an authoritarian demagogue. America’s founders repeatedly and forebodingly cautioned us about the dangers of demagogues who would be tyrants. This article demonstrates how former President Donald Trump is precisely this. With his penchant for lies, self-admiration, criminality, and consolidating power into his own hands by any means and at all costs, he has consistently demonstrated strong dictatorial impulses and poses a very clear and present danger to our constitutional liberties, to the rule of law, and American democracy.
This article draws upon the facts, as gathered from high quality sources of information. These sources include recordings of firsthand accounts given by Mr. Trump’s White House staff, the sworn testimony of his own chosen cabinet members, and selected media sources with only a solid reputation for neutral, fact-based reporting. It uses clear reasoning to analyze and conclusively deduce Mr. Trump’s attempts to subvert the 2020 election results while falsely professing to be the victim of election fraud, his leading role in the January 6th insurrection that violently threatened to end democracy in America, and the broader implications of his actions to undermine the American electorate and our republic.
Subversion of the 2020 Election
Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine the 2020 election began well before the votes were cast. Throughout his presidency, he sowed distrust in the electoral process with repeated claims that the election would be “rigged” against him, without providing any evidence. As part of this scheme, Mr. Trump falsely claimed that mail-in ballots were a source of voter fraud, again without evidence. He appointed a Postmaster General in charge of the U.S. Postal Service who decommissioned hundreds of thousands of mail-sorting machines, removed election ballot drop boxes, and reduced postal staff and overtime. This significantly slowed the Post Office’s ability to process mail, including mail-in ballots, and called into question whether all votes could be counted in time for the November election. Though this effort ultimately failed to disenfranchise mail-in voters, Mr. Trump falsely blamed the delays he himself evidently caused on the supposed machinations of his political enemies.
As a notable aside, investigating Mr. Trump’s behavior inevitably reveals this to be a common tactic of his: accuse others of what he is guilty of. It’s alarming how shamelessly he makes false claims that actually fit himself and his own words and actions.
Back to the election. After fairly losing the election to Joe Biden, Mr. Trump escalated his false claims. Again without any evidence, he asserted widespread voter fraud and insisted that he was the rightful winner.
Despite numerous court cases and investigations proving that the 2020 election was fair and free from any significant fraud, Mr. Trump and his allies continued to spread baseless accusations. More than 60 lawsuits were filed by him and his supporters. The lawsuits were dismissed by courts, including the Supreme Court, for a lack of evidence. Judges, many of whom were conservative and, in some cases, were appointed by Mr. Trump himself, consistently found the cases without merit in the claims of election fraud. Even Mr. Trump’s own appointed Attorney General, William Barr, Mr. Trump’s own White House Counsel, Pat Cipillone, and many others he appointed stated that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could have affected the election outcome.
Some of the cases were deemed so frivolous that Rudy Giuliani, who was Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer, lost his license to practice law as a result. As the NY Supreme Court put it, Mr. Giuliani “communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with Trump’s failed effort at reelection in 2020.”
In his remarks on how the Trump Campaign asked his court to discard nearly seven million legally cast votes in Pennsylvania, U.S. District Court Judge Brann concluded:
“…this Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence. In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state. Our people, laws, and institutions demand more.”
In her remarks in another lawsuit brought by Mr. Trump’s attorneys to decertify the entire state of Michigan’s election results (nearly four and a half million legally cast votes) and impound voting machines, U.S. District Court Judge Parker called the lawsuit a sham and scathingly rebuked his attorneys:
“This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process… to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws or rights were in fact violated… Despite the haze of confusion, commotion and chaos counsel intentionally attempted to create by filing this lawsuit, one thing is perfectly clear: Plaintiffs’ attorneys have scorned their oath, flouted the rules, and attempted to undermine the integrity of the judiciary along the way.”
A clear and consistent pattern emerged from the lawsuits and the lies, pointing to Mr. Trump’s real agenda. He certainly knew he’d lost the election: he was repeatedly told this even by his own cabinet and advisors. In spite of knowing this, without evidence he preemptively claimed the election would be rigged against him. He repeated this false claim over and over again. He understood that many Americans pay attention to political performances, rather than take the time to learn and analyze the facts. And that by repeating something false over and over again with dramatic confidence, unwitting Americans would be fooled into believing that his lies are the truth, and that the truth is a lie.
Mr. Trump and his allies then filed scores of false election fraud lawsuits in the aftermath of the election. Though his lawsuits lacked evidence, winning the court cases was not the real intent. When his weak cases inevitably failed in the courts, the con game he’d played had actually paid off. The act of filing lawsuits gave his unwitting supporters a facade of validity to his election fraud claims. In other words, it was about giving the superficial appearance of validity to his false claims. And their failures fooled them into believing the falsehood that Mr. Trump was unjustly vilified. Rather than reasonably take the lawsuits’ dismal failures as evidence against his false claims, Mr. Trump instead solidified his supporters’ belief in his election fraud lies. He was perceived, wrongly, to be the victim rather than the perpetrator of injustice, and fortified their anger and resolve to support him all the more.
Intimidation and Threats Against Election Workers
Donald Trump’s rhetoric not only undermined public confidence in the electoral process, but also had severe consequences for the safety and well being of election workers across the country. His false accusations led to harassment and death threats against those responsible for administering the elections at the state level.
The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol highlighted some of the instances where Mr. Trump and his associates illegally pressured state and local officials to overturn the election results. When Mr. Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find 11,000 votes” in his state, Mr. Raffensperger responded with the facts: there were no votes to find because the vote count was certified accurate, and the election fraud claims were not true. He was so concerned about the illegal nature of Mr. Trump’s apparent request to fabricate additional votes and falsely declare Georgia for him, Mr. Raffensperger recorded the phone call. With his refusal, Mr. Trump threateningly told the Secretary of State it would be very “dangerous” for him not to go along with his wishes. After Mr. Trump publicly criticized him for not unconstitutionally and illegally overturning the state’s election results, Mr. Raffensperger’s and his wife’s phone numbers and email addresses were doxed, and they were flooded with threatening, despicable messages. He received a barrage of insulting and threatening messages, sometimes demanding he resign for not showing loyalty to Mr. Trump. But he instead resiliently followed the Constitution and the law. His wife more typically received disgusting sexualized messages in attempts to get to him. Additionally, the home of Mr. Raffensperger’s daughter-in-law and her two children was broken into after her husband, Mr. Raffensperger’s son, had died.
Similarly, ordinary election workers in various states reported receiving threats and experiencing intimidation as a direct result of Mr. Trump’s and his associates’ baseless claims. Take the case of Wandrea Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman. Ms. Moss had been an election worker in Fulton County for many years. She took pride in her ability to help people exercise their right to vote. She went above and beyond to ensure that voters could vote, including going out of her way to visit a hospitalized voter to personally hand them an absentee ballot. Donald Trump and his then-lawyer and advisor Rudy Giuliani made false accusations of fraud committed by Ms. Moss and her mother Ms. Freeman. They took innocuous video footage of the two collecting mail-in ballots and lied about it, claiming they were “passing USB ports around like vials of heroin” in Giuliani’s words. In fact, in the video Ms. Moss is apparently seen handing her mom a ginger mint instead. When these lies were made, Ms. Moss and her mother immediately began receiving harassing communications from Mr. Trump’s fooled supporters. They made various insulting comments and even death threats on social media, on their phones, and even in-person at their homes. One threat told Ms. Moss she should be grateful it’s 2020 and not 1920, implying that she and her mother should be lynched by the Ku Klux Klan (Ms. Moss and her mom are black). Some even went to Ms. Moss’s grandmother’s home to pick on and intimidate her as well. Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman both additionally reported the negative consequences to their personal lives to the Committee, including an inability to leave their homes without fear for their lives, and losing business and work for fear of using their names (Ms. Freeman, who commonly went by Lady Ruby, had a local business with her name in it). Of the entire Fulton County’s election staff where Ms. Moss worked, all quit their jobs for fear of their personal and families’ safety. All because Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump lied about them, angering Mr. Trump’s base of supporters into threatening them with violence and death.
In Ms. Freeman’s (a.k.a. Lady Ruby’s) own words:
“There is no where I feel safe, nowhere. Do you know how it feels to have the President of the United States targeting you? The President of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target one. But he targeted me, Lady Ruby, the small business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen, who stood up to help Fulton county run an election in the middle of the pandemic.”
These actions are a clear indication of how far Mr. Trump and his allies are willing to go to undermine democratic institutions and processes to illegitimately gain and maintain power.
The January 6 Insurrection
One of the most egregious examples of Donald Trump’s authoritarian impulses was his role in inciting the January 6th insurrection. On that day, a joint session of Congress, including then Vice President Mike Pence in his role as President of the Senate, met to count the Electoral College’s votes for the next President of the United States. This joint session has been conducted after every presidential election since the Electoral Count Act of 1887 was passed into law. The Act was a response to the disputed election of 1876, when a hotly contested election resulted in federal pressure from both political parties to influence or coerce electoral votes in each’s favor. With the states in charge of organizing and certifying their electors free from federal interference, the joint session was formally created by the Act to reduce Congress’s role to a largely ceremonial duty: affirming what the states have counted was in accord with the Constitution and election law.
Prior to January 6th, 2021, Joe Biden had already been counted the winner by the states in an election that was perhaps the most secure, fair, and free election in U.S. history according to Mr. Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security. Trump’s own Department of Justice as well asserted the same about the election. But instead of accepting his DOJ’s or DOHS’s findings, Donald Trump replaced his Attorney General (in charge of the DOJ) with acting AG Jeffrey Clark, a man willing to desecrate his role as chief law officer of the nation by repeating the lies about election fraud. A common quality amongst dictators throughout history, Donald Trump does not like cabinet members who uphold their oaths to the Constitution and the rule of law, but prefers those who show personal fealty to him alone.
Trump also pressured Vice President Mike Pence publicly and privately to stop the election count on the basis of the election fraud lies, which was an illegal and unconstitutional request of Mr. Pence. The Electoral Count Act limited Mr. Pence’s role to a ceremonial one, and it should be obvious why no Vice President (much less any American) has the authority to single-handedly disenfranchise the entire nation’s electorate and dictate who they want to be the next President. But illegality and unconstitutionality did not stop Mr. Trump from demanding he do so. Mr. Trump’s attorney John Eastman eventually abandoned any principles he had left when he contradicted himself by falsely advising Mr. Trump that Mr. Pence could actually do this. Federal Judge Carter was consulted by the January 6th Select Committee investigating the insurrection. He said that if Mr. Pence had done so, he would have violated at least two federal criminal statutes, adding that:
“If Dr. Eastman and President Trump’s plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself.”
The peaceful transfer of power is an American tradition going back to our first President, George Washington, who peacefully relinquished his power at the end of two terms. It has been a hallmark of the American republic since, honored by every American president… except for one.
Earlier that day, Mr. Trump held his “Stop the Steal” rally a short distance from the U.S. Capitol building. He and his allies took turns giving speeches to a crowd of supporters, repeating the election fraud lies and stoking the flames of anger. Mr. Trump’s speech was also filled with incendiary rhetoric. He further urged his supporters to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol to “save” their country. This call to action, combined with months of false claims about a stolen election, was a directive to the crowd to break into the Capitol building and fight to interfere with the electoral count in favor of the loser, Donald Trump.
A violent mob of Trump supporters then stormed the U.S. Capitol, as Mr. Trump instructed. Extremist right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who Mr. Trump had previously and ominously instructed to “stand down and stand by” on live television, had been planning an assault and occupation of the Capitol building for some time. Trump had first tweeted about his rally on December 19,, 2020, that there would be a “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” They were standing by as instructed by Mr. Trump, waiting for an opportunity, and here it was. Leaders and other members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers led groups from the mob to break through police barricades, break into the Capitol building, destroy and steal property, and assault D.C. police officers, injuring 140 police officers and murdering one. Some of the injured officers were permanently maimed (i.e. loss of an eye), while several officers died days later from their injuries and the stress endured (i.e. heart attack, suicide). The domestic terrorists, as the FBI categorizes them, brought firearms, baseball bats, knives, hatchets, tasers, pepper spray, flag poles (ironically bearing the Blue Lives Matter flag in some cases) and other improvised weapons to the Capitol. Police officers were beaten, told by the insurrectionists things like, “You will die on your knees!” and “Kill him with his own gun!” while black officers were called racial slurs. Insurrectionists also loudly threatened and carried signs indicating their intent to murder the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to murder the Vice President, Mike Pence, and to murder other representatives and senators they falsely, ironically, called “traitors”.
The FBI estimates that in total around 2,000 engaged in criminal activity at the U.S. Capitol that day. As of this writing, over 1,420 individuals have been criminally charged. Over 800 have plead guilty to some or all charges, with over 900 found guilty and sentenced. Only three have been acquitted on all charges. More court cases are still ongoing.
When numerous insurrectionists were apprehended, charged, and spoke in court, they clearly stated that they’d stormed the Capitol and committed their various crimes because they believed Donald Trump had instructed them to. Primed for months into falsely believing his election fraud lies, they were clearly angered and fooled into believing their violent assault would “save” their country, as Mr. Trump put it.
During the hours of the assault, his own appointed cabinet and other White House staff members later revealed that Mr. Trump was angered by pleas from his advisers, members of Congress, and even his family to condemn the violence and call off the mob. Instead of doing so, he watched the events unfold on television, reportedly expressing strong approval of the attack. “They’re doing what they should be doing,” he told one staffer. When he learned that the mob was chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” about his own Vice President, Mr. Trump responded, “Maybe my supporters have the right idea”, that Mike Pence, “deserves it.” As hours of violence continued, Mr. Trump gave no order to deploy the National Guard, did not speak to his Attorney General or the DOJ, and did not speak with the Department of Homeland Security, in any effort whatsoever to deploy or support law enforcement at the Capitol that day (Vice President Mike Pence eventually did deploy the National Guard after over three hours had passed). It took nearly four hours for Mr. Trump to finally release a video statement telling the rioters to go home. But even then, he justified the mob violence, reiterating his false claims about the election being stolen. He also told the mob of domestic terrorists, “We love you, and you’re very special,” and tweeted as well that they were “great patriots.”
Many White House staffers and cabinet members resigned out of disgust with Mr. Trump that day. The remaining senior White House staff then discussed, but did not act on, the possibility of invoking a 25th Amendment clause in the Constitution to remove a sitting president who is unfit for the office.
Post-Presidency Actions and Legal Consequences
Even after leaving office, Mr. Trump has continued to perpetuate the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him. His ongoing efforts to undermine faith in the electoral process have included several facets. He’s supported candidates who show loyalty to Mr. Trump instead of the Constitution and endorse his false claims. He has pressured state officials to replace election officials who did their jobs with integrity with cronies loyal to Mr. Trump. And under the guise of these unfounded allegations and the facade of “securing” elections, he has pressured state legislatures to pass unconstitutional voting laws that have unfairly restricted and damaged free elections.
Mr. Trump’s actions have not been without legal consequences. He is currently facing multiple federal and state investigations and trials related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, and has indeed been criminally convicted in one case to date. These legal proceedings have brought to light further evidence of his attempts to subvert the democratic process. And, without evidence, as he did with his election fraud lies, he has repeatedly lied to the public about the charges brought against him. Though he’s accused the various prosecutors of engaging in a “witch hunt” on behalf of his political enemies without evidence, again his aim is not to state facts but to fool his base of supporters into believing that he is the victim, rather than the lying criminal authoritarian he truly is.
In an unprecedented recent decision, the Supreme Court granted broad immunity to former presidents from prosecution. This brand new power is not in the Constitution, and deviates from past views of presidential immunity where active presidents required impeachment rather than prosecution when suspected of high crimes and misdemeanors. No protections were ever afforded to former presidents. Noone was above the law… but not anymore. Notably, this decision was made with three conservative jurists appointed by Mr. Trump, and two additional conservatives known to take excessive gifts (bribes?) from rich donors who just happen to later win their cases.
This ruling has delayed federal prosecutions of Mr. Trump past the November election date, as prosecutors now must go back to address additional burdens that did not exist before. The delay is all Donald Trump needs, however, if he wins the election. Regardless of how the cases could turn out, he could bring the federal cases to an abrupt end by either pardoning himself (as he’s claimed he could do, without evidence) or appointing a corrupt Attorney General personally loyal to himself instead of the Constitution and have all federal cases dismissed.
The dissenting three justices said the majority decision makes presidents immune from prosecution for acts such as ordering Navy seals to assassinate a political rival, organizing a military coup to hold onto power, or accepting a bribe in exchange for a pardon. Justice Sotomayor added:
“Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”
The very questionable judge in charge of Mr. Trump’s classified documents mishandling case has additionally dismissed the case since this Supreme Court decision, enabling him to get away with his theft and mishandling of highly classified documents.
All the more reason to ensure that Trump is never elected President again. His actions and words to date show us he craves dictatorial power at all costs. And with the Supreme Court majority’s decision to grant him immunity from prosecution for any criminal or unconstitutional acts, the stage has been set for him to evade justice, thwart the greater interests of the nation, unravel the people’s constitutional liberties, and become a true dictator without legal reproach.
The Broader Implications for American Democracy
Clearly, Donald Trump is an authoritarian demagogue who would become a dictator if elected. He’s even said himself that, if elected, he would become a dictator “on day one”. As we should all know very well from history, a dictator on day one is a dictator for life.
We should have all learned from history that Mr. Trump’s tactics are the same utilized by men of the past to fool the masses into electing them, only to overthrow republics and rule as dictators. His refusal to accept the results of a free and fair election have damaged public trust in our democratic institutions and values. And his attempts to intimidate and coerce election officials and to incite mob violence against the government all demonstrate a profound disregard for democratic norms and the rule of law: they were a naked grab for power. Authoritarian leaders often seek to consolidate power by undermining democratic institutions and processes. And Mr. Trump’s behavior fits this pattern, as he has consistently sought to delegitimize any institution or individual that challenges his desire for more authority. This includes the judiciary, the legislature, the media which he has regularly demonized as “the enemy of the people” without evidence, and even members of his own party who refused to go along with his baseless claims. Former representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for example, who were both ostracized by other Republicans and were not reelected because they bravely chose to advocate for the Constitution instead of bending the knee to “King” Trump.
The 2024 presidential election represents a critical juncture for the United States. Electing Donald Trump would ensure that free and fair elections are never again held in America. It would validate his previous attempts to undermine democracy and would embolden him to continue down a horrifying road to dictatorship in the United States. It is essential for voters to recognize the authoritarian threat that Mr. Trump poses, and to reject his candidacy outright.
As of this afternoon, President Joe Biden has announced his withdrawal from the 2024 election and nominated Vice President Kamala Harris in his stead. For months, Democrats have become increasingly concerned about President Biden’s ability to serve our country another four years, given his advanced age, poor recent debate performance, and voter concerns. By deciding to drop out and pass the torch, he has shown his true quality as a man with greater reverence for the future and well being of the country than his own ego. That he would set aside his own ego for the sake of the greater good is a testament to his noble nature.
Together, the Biden-Harris team have had a long and proven track record of commitment to upholding our Constitution, our democratic institutions, and the rule of law. Joe Biden chose a like-minded Vice President in Kamala Harris, as well as in his cabinet members, and his other advisors who show loyalty not to one man, but to the Constitution and the rule of law. As we all should, if we consider ourselves a free people. For showing loyalty to one man as leader is to show deference to dictatorship. And we can expect the same quality in a President Harris: she would be loyal to the Constitution and the rule of law above herself.
By voting for Kamala Harris in November, we will secure the survival of democracy in the United States, thereby preserving America as the land of the free for ourselves, for our children, and for future generations.
Bibliography
This bibliography contains the bulk of quality sources relied upon for this article, categorized by article section title. For further review, I’d recommend reviewing the Congressional January 6th Committee’s full ten hearings in date order as recorded and stored on CSPAN here: https://www.c-span.org/search/?searchtype=Videos&sort=Newest&seriesid[]=112
Introduction:
Hamilton, Alexander. “The Federalist Papers”, No. 1 (1787). Library of Congress. https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers (accessed July 21, 2024).
Subversion of the 2020 Election:
Balsamo, Michael. “Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud.” Associated Press, June 28, 2022. https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d (accessed July 21, 2024).
Barr, William, former Attorney General. Testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. C-SPAN, June 13, 2022. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5019642/user-clip-ag-barr-2000-mules-movie (accessed July 21, 2024).
Cassidy, Christina A. “Far too little vote fraud to tip election to Trump, AP finds.” Associated Press, Dec. 14, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f (accessed July 21, 2024).
Cipillone, Pat, former White House Counsel. Testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. C-SPAN, July 12, 2022. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5023241/pat-cipollone-agreed-ag-barr-widespread-election-fraud (accessed July 21, 2024).
Donoghue, Richard, former Deputy Attorney General. Testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. C-SPAN, June 23, 2022. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5021132/richard-donoghue-president-trumpurged-doj-declare-election-corrupt (accessed July 21, 2024).
Mak, Tim, Tom Dreisbach, and Dina Temple-Raston. “Who Is Louis DeJoy? U.S. Postmaster General In Spotlight Ahead Of 2020 Election.” National Public Radio, Aug. 21, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/21/904346060/postmaster-general-faces-intense-scrutiny-amid-allegations-of-political-motives (accessed July 21, 2024).
Merchant, Nomaan, Alanna Durkin Richer, and Mark Sherman. “Supreme Court rejects Republican attack on Biden victory.” Associated Press, Dec. 12, 2020. https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-lawsuits-elections-fe784086a81497dcfe38f0eb5bffd36d (accessed July 21, 2024).
Reuters. “Fact check: Courts have dismissed multiple lawsuits of alleged electoral fraud presented by Trump campaign.” Reuters, Feb. 15, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2AF1FQ/ (accessed July 21, 2024).
Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, First Judicial Department. April 29, 2024. https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad1/calendar/List_Word/2024/07_Jul/02/PDF/Matter%20of%20Giuliani%20(2021-00506).pdf (accessed July 21, 2024).
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania. https://www.pamd.uscourts.gov/donald-j-trump-president-v-boockvar-et-al-420-cv-02078 (accessed July 21, 2024).
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21049123/parker-decision-on-lawyer-sanctions.pdf (accessed July 21, 2024).
Woodward, Calvin. “AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s false claims, fuel on a day of chaos.” Associated Press, Jan. 6, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-a98d72c0ccde16fa900e6053a4599cab (accessed July 21, 2024).
Intimidation and Threats Against Election Workers:
Moss, Wandrea Arshaye. Fulton County Election Worker. Testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. C-SPAN, June 21, 2022. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5122662/user-clip-shaye-moss-fulton-county-election-worker-full-deposition (accessed July 21, 2024).
Raffensperger, Brad, Georgia Secretary of State. Testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. C-SPAN, June 21, 2022. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5020714/fellas-11000-votes-give-break (accessed July 21, 2024).
U.S. Congress. House. Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Final Report. 117th Cong., 2nd sess., Dec. 22, 2022. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/pdf/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf (accessed July 21, 2024).
January 6th Insurrection:
National Public Radio. “The Jan. 6 attack: The cases behind the biggest criminal investigation in U.S. history.” National Public Radio, updated July 5, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2021/02/09/965472049/the-capitol-siege-the-arrested-and-their-stories (accessed July 21, 2024).
Testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. C-SPAN, June 9, 2022. https://www.c-span.org/video/?520282-1/hearing-investigation-january-6-attack-us-capitol (accessed July 21, 2024).
Post-Presidency Actions and Legal Consequences
Durkin Richer, Alanna, Eric Tucker, and Michael Kunzelman. “What to know about the Supreme Court immunity ruling in Trump’s 2020 election interference case.” Associated Press, July 1, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-supreme-court-capitol-riot-trial-72ec35de776315183e1db561257cb108 (accessed July 21, 2024).
Tucker, Eric. “Federal judge dismisses Trump classified documents case over concerns with prosecutor’s appointment.” Associated Press, July 15, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-smith-c66d5ffb7ba86c1b991f95e89bdeba0c (accessed July 21, 2024).
U.S. Supreme Court. “Trump v. United States.” U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Circuit 23-939. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf (accessed July 21, 2024).
Yilek, Caitlin. “Read the full Trump indictment charging him with 34 felony counts.” CBS News, April 4, 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-indictment-34-felony-counts-charges-new-york-read/ (accessed July 21, 2024).
What's Wrong? 