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U.S. NEWS Thursday 12 November 2020
Few legal wins so far as Trump team hunts for proof of fraud

By MARYCLAIRE DALE and down its Twitter feed Tues-
ALANNA DURKIN RICHER day after it was inundated
Associated Press with attacks. The firm did
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dur- not return messages seek-
ing a Pennsylvania court ing comment.
hearing this week on one of A second firm, Jones Day,
the many election lawsuits said it was representing
brought by President Don- not the Trump campaign
ald Trump, a judge asked a but the Pennsylvania GOP,
campaign lawyer whether in litigation before the U.S.
he had found any signs of Supreme Court over the
fraud from among the 592 three-day extension to ac-
ballots challenged. cept mail-in ballots.
The answer was no. Nationally, the strategy is
"Accusing people of fraud being run by Trump allies
is a pretty big step," said such as Rudy Giuliani, the
the lawyer, Jonathan Gold- president's personal at-
stein. "We're all just trying to torney; political operative
get an election done." David Bossie, who is not an
Trump has not been so attorney; and Jay Seku-
cautious, insisting without low, a lead lawyer during
evidence that the election the president's impeach-
was stolen from him even A sign hangs in front of an American flag, as a handful of supporters of President Donald Trump ment trial this year. Bossie
when election officials na- continue to protest outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Nov. recently tested positive for
tionwide from both parties 10, 2020. COVID-19.
say there has been no con- Associated Press Election law expert Rick
spiracy. Hasen said he would ex-
On Wednesday, Trump Pennsylvania alone in an Biden rolls out his agenda. "From the inside looking out, pect to see top-drawer
took aim at Philadelphia, effort to reclaim the state's "This may be an attempt it feels all very deranged," Supreme Court litigators
the Democratic stronghold 20 electoral votes. There is to appease the ego in Schmidt said in an interview involved, such as two for-
that helped push President- action, too, in Georgia, Ari- chief, but there are real that aired Sunday. "Count- mer solicitors general, Paul
elect Joe Biden over the zona, Nevada and Michi- world consequences for ing votes cast on or before Clement or Theodore Ol-
270 Electoral College votes gan. real people that come out Election Day by eligible vot- son, if Trump had a strong
needed to win the race. In court, his lawyers must of that," said Loyola Law ers is not corruption. It is not case. "There are certain
The president accused a walk a precarious line be- School professor Justin Lev- cheating. It is democracy." names of elite lawyers
local Republican election tween advocating for their itt, a former Justice Depart- Untold voters, however, are that signal to the Supreme
official Al Schmidt, of ignor- client and upholding their ment elections official. "The accepting Trump's claim Court that something is seri-
ing "a mountain of corrup- professional oath. attempt to soothe the pres- about a rigged election ous," said Hasen, a profes-
tion & dishonesty." Twitter Legal ethicists and pro- ident's ego is not a victim- and are donating to his le- sor at the University of Cali-
added a label that said the democracy activists have less crime." gal fund. fornia, Irvine. Instead, "the
election fraud claim is dis- questioned the participa- Schmidt told CBS' "60 Min- A law firm involved in the campaign announced
puted. tion of lawyers in this quest, utes" that his office has re- election suits, Ohio-based that it was putting Rudy
Trump loyalists have filed at as Trump clings to power ceived death threats sim- Porter Wright Morris & Ar- Giuliani and David Bossie in
least 15 legal challenges in and President-elect Joe ply for counting votes. thur, appeared to take charge." q

TikTok asks court to intervene as Trump order looms

By MATT O'BRIEN would also have a finan- those of our more than
AP Technology Writer cial stake in the company. 1,500 employees in the
The popular video-sharing But TikTok said this week it's US," TikTok said in a written
app TikTok, its future in lim- received "no clarity" from statement Tuesday.
bo since President Donald the U.S. government about Trump has cited concerns
Trump tried to shut it down whether its proposals have that the Chinese govern-
earlier this fall, is asking a been accepted. ment could spy on TikTok
federal court to intervene. The deal has been under users if the app remains un-
TikTok's Chinese owner, a national-security review der Chinese ownership. Tik-
ByteDance, has until Thurs- by the interagency Com- Tok has denied it's a security
day to sell off its U.S. opera- mittee on Foreign Invest- threat but said it's still trying
tions under an executive ment in the United States, to work with the adminis-
order that Trump signed in or CFIUS, which is led by the tration to resolve its con-
August. Treasury Department. The cerns. The legal challenge
Trump in September gave Treasury Department didn't is "a protection to ensure
his tentative blessing to return emailed requests for these discussions can take This Feb. 25, 2020, file photo, shows the icon for TikTok in New
a ByteDance proposal comment this week. place," the company said. York.
meant to resolve U.S. na- "With the November 12 The Trump administration Associated Press
tional security concerns CFIUS deadline imminent had earlier sought to ban
by placing TikTok under and without an extension in the app from smartphone blocked those actions. Circuit to review Trump's
the oversight of American hand, we have no choice app stores and deprive it of TikTok is now looking to the divestment order and the
companies Oracle and but to file a petition in court vital technical services, but U.S. Court of Appeals for government's national-se-
Walmart, each of which to defend our rights and federal judges have so far the District of Columbia curity review.q