Trump’s legal team linked to unauthorized access of voting machines
According to a report by CNN, Georgia prosecutors have obtained text messages and emails that directly connect some of former President Donald Trump’s legal team to a voting system breach in a rural Georgia county. The breach occurred in early 2021, as Trump and his allies were trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
The report claims that the breach was not a spontaneous act by local Trump supporters, but a coordinated effort by members of Trump’s legal team, including former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and people they hired to investigate voter fraud in Georgia. The evidence suggests that they received a “written invitation” to access the voting machines in Coffee County from a former county official who had made baseless allegations of voting irregularities.
The invitation was then circulated among Trump’s legal team and a firm called Sullivan Strickler, which was hired to examine the voting machines for evidence of fraud. The firm’s data experts were seen in surveillance video entering the county’s election office and making copies of the election systems, according to the Guardian.
Georgia Secretary of State calls the breach “unauthorized access”
The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has called the Coffee County breach “unauthorized access”, as Georgia law requires permission from the Secretary of State before any software is “loaded onto or maintained or used on computers on which the election management system software is located”.
The Secretary of State’s office has also launched an investigation into the breach, which could result in criminal charges for those involved. The office has said that there is no evidence of any tampering or manipulation of the voting machines or the election results.
The breach occurred before the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral win in Georgia, which was confirmed by multiple recounts and audits. Biden won Georgia by about 12,000 votes, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1992.
Fulton County District Attorney prepares for possible indictments
The evidence of the breach is part of a broader investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into Trump’s attempts to overturn his loss in Georgia. Willis is expected to present her case before a grand jury this week, which could lead to indictments against Trump and his associates.
Willis is looking into whether Trump violated state laws by pressuring Georgia officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat. She is also examining whether Trump or his allies solicited or committed election fraud, racketeering, conspiracy or other crimes.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the investigation a “witch hunt”. He has also vowed that he will never take a plea deal if he is charged. Trump is already facing three other indictments, including a federal one over his role in inciting the January 6 Capitol riot.
