I saw absolutely zero basis for the allegations, but they were made
in such a sensational way that they obviously were influencing a
lot of people. Members of the public that there was this systemic.
Corruption in the system and that their votes didn't count in that
these machines controlled by somebody else were actually determining
it, which was complete nonsense, and it was being laid out there,
and I told him that it was it was
Crazy stuff and they were wasting their time on that and I was doing
great grave disservice to the country.
We've learned that President Trump's White House counsel agreed with
the Department of Justice about this
Attorney General. Barr made a public announcement on December 1st
less than a month
that he had seen no Suspend fraud Special fund.
Fair to say that by December 1st you had reached the significant.
It's fair to say that I agreed with the attorney general's
in on December 1st.
Um yes, I did. And I supported by
However, the strong rejection of the attorney general in the White
House counsel these claims did not stop the president from trying
to press them in public. But that's not all they did. Indeed, as
you'll see in this clip, the president asked Attorney General Bill
Barr.
To have the Department of Justice sees voting machines in the states.
My collection is the president said something like, uh,
Well, we could get to the bottom. Some people say we could get to
the bottom of this. If if the department sees the machines, there
was a typical well, raising a point.
And I said, Absolutely not. There's no probable cause, and I'm not
going to seize any machines.
And that was that. Yeah.
But this wasn't the end of the matter. On the evening of December,
18th 2020, Sidney Powell, General Michael Flynn and others entered
the White House for an unplanned meeting with the president.
The meeting that would last multiple hours and become hot blooded
and contentious.
Executive order behind me on the screen was drafted on December the
16th just two days after the electoral college vote by several of
the president's outside advisers.
Over a luncheon at the Trump International Hotel.
As you can see here. This proposed order directs the secretary of
defense to seize voting machines quote effective immediately, but
it goes even further than that.
Under the order President Trump would appoint
A special counsel with the power to seize machines and then charge
people with crimes with all resources necessary to carry out her
duties.
The specific plan was to name Sidney Powell Especial Council, the
Trump lawyer who had spent the post election period making outlandish
claims about Venezuelan in Chinese interference in the election.
Among others. Here's what White House counsel Pat sit baloney had
to say about Sidney Powell's qualifications to take on such expansive
authority.
I don't think Sidney Sidney Powell would say that.
I thought it was a good idea. Point first special counsel I was being
a
didn't think she should be appointed to anything.
Sydney, Powell told the president that these steps were justified
because of her evidence of foreign interference in the 2020 election.
However, as we've seen, Trump's allies had no such evidence, and,
of course, no legal authority for the federal government to seize
state voting machines.
Here's Mr Sip Aloni again, denouncing Sidney Powell's terrible idea.
There was a real question in my mind and a real concern, you know,
particularly after the attorney general has reached a conclusion.
That there wasn't sufficient election frog to change the outcome
of the election.
When other people can't suggesting that
There was the answer is what is it?
And at some point you have to put up or shut up.
That was my view. Why was this broader scale a bad idea for country.
Attend the federal government season voting machines. It's a terrible
idea.
That's not how we do things in the United States. There's no people
authority to do that.
And
There is a way to contest elections.
Happens all the time.
But the idea that the federal government to come in and
Sees election machines Now that
That's I don't I don't understand why we tell you why that's about
reviews Country It's a terrible idea.
For all of its absurdity. The December 18th meeting was critically
important because President Trump got to watch up close for several
hours as his White House counsel and other White House lawyers destroyed
the baseless factual claims and ridiculous legal arguments.
Being offered by Sidney Powell, Mike Flynn and others. President
Trump now knew all these claims were nonsense, not just from his
able White House lawyers but also from his own Department of Justice
officials.
And indeed his own campaign officials as White House counsel Pat
Sip alone and told us
With respect to the whole election fraud issue.
That to me is sort of if you're going to make those kind of planes.
And people were open to them early on, because people were making
muscles of claims, and the real question is
Show me adverts.
Okay?
Wasn't just the Justice Department, the Trump campaign in the Trump
White House lawyers who knew it. Even Rudy Giuliani's own legal team
admitted that they did not have any real evidence of fraud sufficient
to change the election result.
Here's an email from
Rudy Giuliani's lead investigator, Bernie Kerik. On December 28th
2022, chief of staff, Mark Meadows. Mr Kerik did not mince any words.
We can do all the investigations we want later.
But if the president plans on winning, it's the legislators that
have to be moved. And this will do just that.
Eric wanted the president to win. What he didn't say in this email
was what he would later tell the Select Committee in a letter that
his lawyer wrote to us in November.
The letter said, quote.
It was impossible for Mr Kerik and his team to determine conclusively
whether there was widespread fraud or whether that widespread fraud
would have altered the outcome of the election. In other words, even
Rudy Giuliani's on legal team knew before January 6th that they hadn't
collected.
Enough factual evidence to support any of their stolen election claims.
Here's what Trump campaign senior advisor Jason Miller told the committee
about some of the so called evidence of fraud.
That the campaign had seen from the Giuliani team.
So do you know what the examples of fraud numbers, names and supporting
evidence was that
You sent two more Brooks's office. And when I say you, I mean, you
are the campaign.
There's some
Very, very general.
Ah, documents as far as um uh as far as say, for
example, here, the handful of dead people in several different states.
Ah, Here are explanations on a couple of the legal challenges as
far as the saying that the, um the rules were changed in an unconstitutional
manner. But it was to say that it was in, uh, is probably an understatement.
Yourself. President Trump's deputy campaign manager, described the
evidence of fraud that the campaign had seen.
You never came to learn or understand that marriage Giuliani had
had produced evidence of election frauds that fair, That's fair.
And here's testimony that we received from the speaker of the Arizona
House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers about an exchange that he
had with Rudy Giuliani after the election.
At some point did one of them make a comment that
They didn't have evidence, but they had a lot of theories. That was
Mr Giuliani.
Chief of staff, Mark Meadows told people that he thought Trump should
concede around the time the electoral college certified the result,
but nonetheless, he later worked to try to facilitate
President Trump's wishes.
Here's what Cassidy Hutchinson told us.
During this period.
He, um
I perceived his goal with all of this.
To keep Trump in office.
Um
You know he had
Very seriously and deeply considered.
The allegations of voter fraud.
But when he began acknowledging that maybe there wasn't enough voter
fraud.
To overturn the election, you know?
Witnessed him.
Start to explore potential constitutional loopholes.
More extensively.