Dem
51
GOP
49
As reader J.B. in Bend pointed out, there was some logic in Donald Trump letting the Colorado decision, the one kicking him off that state's ballot, go unchallenged. He's not going to win in Colorado anyhow, and forcing the issue risked a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could end his presidential campaign. Plus, with the decision in place, Trump could (yet again) play the role of martyr.
However, once Maine followed Colorado's lead, things got real, as actual EVs will be in play in the general election. It's only one EV in this case, thanks to Maine's system of awarding (some) EVs based on winning congressional districts, but Trump needs every EV he can get. So, he has formally filed an appeal of the decision made by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) to the Maine Supreme Court.
It is a typical Trump appeal, which is to say, it's not very good. The 11-page document, which you can read at the link if you wish, falls victim to the same two problems as most Trump legal filings. First, it takes an "everything and the kitchen sink" approach, rather than focusing in on one or two or three substantive concerns. This gives the general feel that Team Trump is just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. Second, the brief makes "arguments" that are really just Trump talking points, like "The Secretary should have recused herself due to her bias against President Trump" and "The Secretary abused her discretion by considering and relying upon untrustworthy evidence."
Of course, this remains a sideshow; it's just not possible for the U.S. Supreme Court to avoid dealing with this issue. However, the filing does show that Trump is nervous about this little problem. That is consistent with reporting from Trump whisperer Maggie Haberman.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for more Trump reading material, yesterday he also posted a 32-page document about the 2020 election to his failing boutique social media platform. He prefaced the document with this:
I am pleased to share a Report that is fully verified, most of the information was gotten from Government Sources, Tapes, and other Public Records, and compiled by the most highly qualified Election Experts in the Country. These numbers are determinative and, in all cases, are hundreds of thousands of Votes per Swing State more than I needed to WIN that State. If the Republican Senate does not step forward and address this ATROCITY, it will happen again, and be virtually impossible for Republicans to WIN ELECTIONS in the future...
Remember, I was not campaigning—The 2020 Election was LONG OVER. What I was doing is bringing to light the fact that the Election was, without question, Rigged and Stolen. As President, and Commander-in-Chief, it was my duty to do so! If I did not do this, I would have been in violation of my Oath of Office, and the Take Care Clause, which requires the President to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." Therefore I am entitled to Total Immunity, because that is exactly what I was doing, Taking Care of our Country, and Guarding it from Rigged and Stolen Elections. Democrats are willing to play a far different game. They are willing to Cheat at levels never seen before.
We've read this "Truth" over several times, and we really don't understand most of it. He's clearly asserting that what he did on 1/6 was lawful, but beyond that... huh? For example, he wants the Republican Senate to "step forward and address this ATROCITY." But, of course, the Senate cannot act unilaterally, and besides, it's not controlled by the Republicans. Maybe he meant the Republican House, although the House can't act unilaterally, either.
Readers have surely heard the now-old line that "Donald Trump is a poor man's idea of a rich man, a weak man's idea of a strong man, and a stupid man's idea of a smart man." Well, that pretty well describes the "report," which has lots of information and lots of footnotes and could pass for a serious attempt at analysis... if one does not know what actual analysis looks like. The document is not signed, first of all, which is kind of a problem. Nobody is putting their reputation on the line here, and the "author" might well have been ChatGPT. Beyond that, the document is a tissue of falsehoods, misrepresentations and verbal trickery. To take one example, the document notes:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled drop boxes are illegal under Wisconsin law, in a 4-3 decision issued in July 2022.
This is a true statement. Thereafter, there is a long list of statements that speak to how many ballots were cast by drop box in the presidential election. These statements, as far as we know, are also true. Trump, or whoever put the document together on his behalf, is counting on people not to notice that an election conducted in 2020 is, of course, not bound by legal rulings that were more than 2 years in the future. We also suspect that the Wisconsin decision will be overturned, now that Janet Protasiewicz is on the court.
In any case, we make note of it because the man is still re-litigating the 2020 election. Presumably he'll be doing so to his dying day. The one thing that might make him stop relitigating 2020 is if he loses in 2024 and decides that relitigating 2024 seems to get his supporters more excited. And while these new "findings" will give Fox and OAN something to talk about for a week, we can't imagine that anyone beyond the base will take them the slightest bit seriously. Certainly, none of the judges tasked with overseeing Trump's numerous trials. (Z)