Trump Election Results: Tensions Rise As Allies Attack

The announcement late Wednesday of the Republican board members’ attempt to revoke their certification votes came in a press release from a Leesburg, Virginia-based public affairs firm called ProActive Communications, which advised Mr. Trump and its founder on the campaign Mark Serrano was common TV defender of the President. According to records on the campaign funding website, Trump’s company paid more than $ 2 million for its consulting services in 2020 OpenSecrets.

Tuesday’s Wayne County’s advertising campaign reversal was a distillation of those dwindling days of the Trump presidency – a conflict over Mr. Trump’s attempt to re-present an alternate version of reality. With only minor irregularities reported, the two Democratic members were willing to accept that Michigan had conducted a smooth election and to confirm the results despite some minor errors, a routine step in the process. Republican members William Hartmann and Monica Palmer had made it clear in the days leading up to the meeting that they were ready to accept Mr Trump’s claims that Democrats would steal his presidency.

Ms Palmer had asked questions about Mr Biden’s leadership in the race on social media in the days after the election and looked for inconsistencies in the Secretary of State’s online data. She also interviewed Republicans who attended the T.C.F. Detroit center where absentee votes were counted to find examples of party’s monitors being denied access.

Mr Hartmann had filled his Facebook page with false accusations and conspiracy theories that the vote against the president had been rigged. One featured allegations of wrongdoing in Detroit that a judge called “unbelievable,” and another featured a video promoting a cornucopia of fraud allegations, including Detroit, that were exposed in court or exposed by election officials . Mr. Hartmann also promoted a video on right-wing cable network One America News that Facebook labeled “false” about coronavirus death rates.

Tuesday’s inflammatory meeting also drew attention to Mr Hartmann’s social media feeds showing old posts racist representations by President Barack Obama, whom Mr. Hartmann once called “Muslim President” (Mr. Obama is a Christian).

Neither Ms. Palmer nor Mr. Hartmann responded to requests for comment, but Mike Shirkey, the Republican Senate leader, said in a statement Wednesday that there have been “disturbing reports from people who allegedly were the children of members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers. “

Ms. Hobbs, the Arizona Secretary of State, said her experience as a social worker prepared her for “threats from violence and vitriol” and described her as “hideous.” She said they would not prevent her from performing her duties. “Our democracy is constantly being tested, it continues to prevail and will not falter under my observation,” she said.