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u.s. news Diahuebs 3 December 2020

Wisconsin governor calls Trump lawsuit an 'assault'

(AP) — President Donald likely kill it. Or it could accept
Trump's attempt to over- the case and issue a decision
turn Wisconsin's election later. It could also just render
results by tossing ballots a decision based on the writ-
only from the state's two ten arguments, although that
most heavily Democratic would be unusual.
counties is an “assault on
democracy,” attorneys for Attorneys for Evers, as well
Democratic Gov. Tony as lawyers from the state De-
Evers said in filings with partment of Justice repre-
the Wisconsin Supreme senting the Wisconsin Elec-
Court. tions Commission, urged the
court not to accept original
The filings, made late Tues- jurisdiction of the case, say-
day, come as the state's high- ing it must start in lower
est court is weighing Trump's courts.
request to disqualify more
than 221,000 ballots in Mil- “President Trump’s (law-
waukee and Dane counties. suit) seeks nothing less than
Democrat Joe Biden defeated to overturn the will of nearly
Trump by a 2-to-1 margin in 3.3 million Wisconsin vot-
those counties on his way to ers,” Evers' attorneys said. “It
a 20,682-vote win statewide. is a shocking and outrageous
assault on our democracy. ...
Trump is not challenging any He is simply trying to seize
ballots in the state's other Wisconsin’s electoral votes, on the envelope the ballots velope doubles as a written and ballots “surely” were cast
70 counties, the majority of even though he lost the state- were placed in. request, something Trump is in other counties.
which Trump won. Trump's wide election." contesting.
legal challenges in other None of the ballots Trump Attorneys for Evers and the
states to overturn election re- Trump’s lawsuit repeats challenged during the re- Evers' attorneys say Trump's elections commission also ar-
sults have failed. many claims he made during count were discounted by arguments related to the ac- gued that it would be wrong
a recount of votes in Milwau- elections officials in Dane cepting of ballots in Madi- to throw out ballots cast by
In Wisconsin, Trump wants kee and Dane counties. He and Milwaukee counties. son's parks and challenges to people who relied on guid-
to skip lower courts, saying seeks to disqualify 170,140 Evers argues in his filings that those who identified as “in- ance from elections officials.
in his lawsuit that there isn't absentee ballots that were there is no legal basis for the definitely confined” should
time to go through the nor- cast early, in-person, saying ballots not to be counted. have been raised before the “Widespread disenfranchise-
mal process due to the loom- there wasn't a proper writ- election. ment for following the rules
ing Dec. 14 date when elec- ten request made for the bal- For example, Evers notes does not comport with due
tors will gather to cast the lots; 28,395 absentee ballots that the Wisconsin Elections The state Justice Department process or a healthy democ-
state's 10 Electoral College cast by those who claimed Commission agreed more also faulted Trump for seek- racy,” Justice Department at-
votes. “indefinitely confined” sta- than four years ago to allow ing to invalidate only ballots torneys said.
tus; 17,271 absentee ballots election clerks to fill in miss- in two counties “presumably
The state Supreme Court collected by poll workers at ing information on envelopes for partisan reasons,” even The Democratic National
could deny Trump's request Madison parks; and 5,517 containing absentee ballots. though each category of vote Committee and Biden’s elec-
to hear the case, forcing it to absentee ballots where clerks And the commission at least they are trying to disqualify tors are also attempting to in-
lower courts, which would filled in missing information since 2011 said that the en- relies on statewide guidance tervene in the lawsuit.

US probing potential bribery, lobbying scheme for pardon

(AP) — The Justice De- exchange for clemency, ecutors are investigating and don investigation is Fake sealed select portions of that
partment is investigat- according to a court docu- whom the proposed pardon News!” document while redacting
ing whether there was a ment unsealed Tuesday. might be intended for. from view any personally
secret scheme to lobby The existence of the inves- identifiable information.
White House officials for Most of the information in But the document from Au- tigation, first reported by
a pardon as well as a re- the 18-page court order is re- gust does reveal that certain CNN, was revealed in a As part of the investigation,
lated plot to offer a hefty dacted, including the identity individuals are suspected of court order from U.S. Dis- more than 50 devices, includ-
political contribution in of the people whom pros- having acted to secretly lobby trict Judge Beryl Howell, ing laptops and iPads, have
White House officials to se- the chief judge of Washing- been seized, according to the
cure a pardon or sentence ton's federal court. In it, she document.
commutation and that, in a granted investigators access
related scheme, a substan- to certain email communica- Pardons are common at the
tial political contribution tions connected to the alleged end of a president's tenure
was floated in exchange for schemes that she said was not and are occasionally politi-
a pardon or “reprieve of sen- protected by attorney-client cally fraught affairs as some
tence.” privilege. The investigative convicted felons look to le-
A Justice Department offi- team will be able to use that verage connections inside
cial said Tuesday night that material to confront any sub- the White House to secure
no government official was ject or target of the investiga- clemency. Last week, Trump
or is a subject or target of the tion, the judge wrote. announced that he had par-
investigation. The official doned his first national secu-
spoke on condition of ano- The order was dated Aug. 28, rity adviser, Michael Flynn,
nymity to discuss an ongoing and prosecutors had sought even as a federal judge was
investigation. to keep it private because weighing a Justice Depart-
they said it identifies people ment request to dismiss the
President Donald Trump not charged by a grand jury. case.
tweeted Tuesday night: “Par- But on Tuesday, Howell un-