Donald Trump’s lawyers believed Clarence Thomas was their “only chance” to prevent Biden’s 2020 election victory from being certified, according to newly uncovered emails
- Last week, eight emails were handed over to the January 6 investigation of the house
- They contained correspondence with and from attorney John Eastman
- He was the main architect of the legal strategy to keep Donald Trump in power
- They show how the legal team viewed Judge Clarence Thomas as key to their efforts
- He’s the judge who handles emergencies – often issuing restraining orders
Emails between Donald Trump’s attorneys Tuesday showed they believed their best chance of derailing Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election lay with a direct appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The details are contained in documents recently turned over to the January Congressional inquiry.
“We want to set things up so that Thomas could be the one issuing some sort of residency or other circuit justice statement saying Georgia has reasonable doubts,” Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro wrote in an email dated December 31, 2020 obtained by Politico.
Chesebro argued that Thomas was “our only chance to get a favorable court opinion by Jan. 6 that could stall the indictment of Georgia in Congress.”
Another attorney, John Eastman, responded, “I think I agree with that,” adding that it would “get the Georgia legislature moving” to help tip the results.
Newly released emails show Donald Trump’s legal team targeting Judge Clarence Thomas as they attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory
The emails were turned over to the House investigation last week of communications to and from John Eastman (left), including his messages with Ken Chesebro (right).
The emails shed new light on the legal maneuvers to keep Trump in power after the election
“We want to arrange things so that Thomas could be the one issuing some sort of residency or other circuit justice statement saying Georgia has reasonable doubts,” Trump attorney Chesebro wrote in an email dated March 31 December 2020 received by Politico
Thomas is the judge tasked with handling emergencies and is responsible for issuing temporary bans so the court can later consider the case more fully.
His role came under scrutiny after it emerged that his activist wife, Ginni, had lobbied the Arizona legislature to reverse Biden’s victory there.
She was also in touch with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, urging him to keep working to keep the President in power.
The notices were reportedly delivered last week to the House of Representatives special committee investigating this attack on the US Capitol.
They were among eight emails Eastman tried to keep from the investigation until a judge ruled they could constitute evidence of crimes.
Other messages underscored her view of Thomas as her best bet.
‘[I]If we can just take this case to the Supreme Court by January 5, ideally with something positive written by a judge or judge, hopefully Thomas, I think that’s our best shot at prosecuting a state reside in Congress,” Chesebro wrote in another Dec. 31 email.
Trump with Eastman in the Oval Office. Eastman played a key role in plotting to keep Trump in power
Ginni Thomas, wife of conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump’s claim that he is the rightful winner of 2020
Trump loyalists who mistakenly believed the election had been stolen from him gather outside the US Capitol on January 6
In other words, they did not expect a legal victory in the Supreme Court, but simply wanted a delay that would cast doubt and encourage states, Congress, or Vice President Mike Pence to undermine the results.
The emails also show deep concern within the team about a possible legal jeopardy if Trump signs documents related to a lawsuit contesting Georgia findings and alleging fraud.
“I have no doubt that once the dust settles, an aggressive district attorney or US attorney will go after both the president and his attorneys,” Eastman wrote in an email to two other private attorneys.