Two days before the January 6 insurrection, the Trump campaign’s plan to use fake electors to block President-elect Joe Biden from taking office faced a potentially crippling hiccup: The fake elector certificates from two critical battleground states were stuck in the mail.

So, Trump campaign operatives scrambled to fly copies of the phony certificates from Michigan and Wisconsin to the nation’s capital, relying on a haphazard chain of couriers, as well as help from two Republicans in Congress, to try to get the documents to then-Vice President Mike Pence while he presided over the Electoral College certification.

The operatives even considered chartering a jet to ensure the files reached Washington, DC, in time for the January 6, 2021, proceeding, according to emails and recordings obtained by CNN.

The new details provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the chaotic last-minute effort to keep Donald Trump in office. The fake electors scheme features prominently in special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal indictment against the former president, and some of the officials who were involved have spoken to Smith’s investigators.

    • @platypus_plumba@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      The crazy thing is that they still have millions of followers after these events come to light. If I saw any politician I like do anything remotely close to this, I’d instantly change my mind.

      I guess this is where the lack of neurons instantly trigger the reptilian “fake news” and “Joespiracy” response.

      • chingadera
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        111 months ago

        It is, indeed. Even crazier to think just how bad they are at an attempted dictatorship and still having faith that they would carry out what their followers are expecting them to without also catastrophicly fucking that up once in complete power.

    • @GiddyGap@lemm.ee
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      211 months ago

      Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter to their voters. It will hopefully matter to enough independents and moderates.

    • @empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 months ago

      caused by none other than his own appointee DeJoy, whose entire goal in the USPS is to dismantle it and privatize it… talk about reaping what you sow lol

      • Nix
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        6511 months ago

        Yet he’s still holding the same position for some reason… its baffling he hasnt been replaced

          • @VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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            4111 months ago

            Actually, Biden can’t directly appoint a new Postmaster General. He CAN, however, replace some of the board members that have that ability, though, which he has absolutely no valid reason not to do.

            • @Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              1111 months ago

              So in other words, he can do what is needed to fire DeJoy, but has chosen not to. The single extra step involved is not a reason not to, and satisfies no one who isn’t already seeking excuses.

              Biden is in a position to replace him. He won’t.

              • @VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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                11 months ago

                So in other words, he can do what is needed to fire DeJoy, but has chosen not to.

                Exactly.

                Biden is in a position to replace him. He won’t.

                Preaching to the choir, my man. I wasn’t disagreeing so much as correcting a detail of your otherwise accurate take 🙂

            • @homesnatch@lemm.ee
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              111 months ago

              Biden can only appoint board members when the term expires of an existing board member… He has appointed a few and they currently hold a majority but haven’t yet acted.

      • @takeda@lemmy.world
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        2211 months ago

        My USPS is normally quite good, and it was a drastic difference during that time. I’m so glad my state decided to also provide official drop boxes and a mechanism to track where my ballot is at any given time.

  • @Veedem@lemmy.world
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    12111 months ago

    I hope this is true so I can use it the next time my dad goes on some diatribe about how the democrats are ruining the country or how he couldn’t vote for any other than Trump in good faith.

    If this is true, everyone who continues to support him is outright against our country.

    • @EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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      10011 months ago

      You think this is gonna change a single MAGA mind? Your dad will just put his fingers in his ears and chant fake news.

      • @grabyourmotherskeys@lemmy.world
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        2511 months ago

        My brother, a Canadian who is socially liberal, economically conservative, and virtually apolitical thinks the fake elector thing is bs.

        He doesn’t care if it did or didn’t happen.

        I am not saying this to contradict you. I am supportive of your point. This is unlikely to even remote reach most people in a meaningful way, let alone die hard Trump fans that somehow think he’s a virile, brave, genius business person with big hands and an animal musk that Larry from Three’s Company would envy.

    • @RagingRobot@lemmy.world
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      5711 months ago

      It’s just brain washing. They keep saying the Democrats are ruining the country and if you don’t vote for trump you won’t have a country. They say it over and over nonstop until people believe it. They say it on Fox News they say it on tweeter. And they encourage their peers to say it. It’s insane that it works so easily. I’m appalled and amazed at the same time.

      • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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        -3211 months ago

        It’s an easy thing to spread, because there’s a kernel of truth to it. Democrats are ruining the country. They’re just not doing it half as quickly as Republicans are.

        • @badaboomxx@lemmy.world
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          911 months ago

          You can see how administrations work, during republican the tax cuts for the rich get thr economy in shambles, then enters a democrat, and suddenly gets better, and repeat.

          • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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            -711 months ago

            Things aren’t getting better by any metric. All of the most harmful legislation, the Patriot act, the Iraq war resolution, the restrict act, etc, is always bipartisan. Democrats are absolutely ruining the country alongside the Republicans. They’re just taking the scenic route.

            • @faction2145@lemmy.world
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              111 months ago

              idk why you are getting downvoted. Biden has done absolutely nothing to curb american fascism. more cops. He gave that weird anti-fascism speech last september and followed it up with exactly nothing structural. No election day holiday exec order, no universal mail in voting. No greedflation profit confiscation, price controls, cut pandemic medicaid, grew child poverty by 50%c blah blah. Our center-right neoliberal and far right fash parties are closer than they are apart, but we can’t have that conversation as a country.

              • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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                011 months ago

                I’m being downvoted because I’m going against the narrative people have learned from fairy tales and movies, that if there’s a bad guy there simply must be a good guy, and you have to be on one side or the other. God forbid people approach politics with an ounce of nuance instead of simplifying it to childlike levels and rooting for one side like it’s a sports team. Your average DNC simp on the internet is just a MAGA with a different colored hat.

                • @TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id
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                  111 months ago

                  You’re being downvoted because people disagree with you. Obviously you can spin that however you want to make yourself feel good, but that’s the long and short of it. Personally I think you are the one who lacks nuance in your analysis.

            • @badaboomxx@lemmy.world
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              011 months ago

              bOtH sIdEs argument… funny how the data shows that republicans get worse results than democrats, but yeah, bOtH sIdEs

            • @KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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              011 months ago

              Doom! Both sides are bad!

              So who should we vote for?

              Republicans or a third party that helps Republicans, no doubt.

        • Natanael
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          011 months ago

          There’s a kernel of attempt at future genocide in it, not truth

            • Natanael
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              511 months ago

              That party isn’t even particularly consistent given how many different types of people are in it. What I can tell you is the genuinely monstrous people are drawn to the Republican party because they’re actively welcomed there.

              • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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                -411 months ago

                That party isn’t even particularly consistent given how many different types of people are in it.

                That’s a pretty long winded way to say “no, I do not believe they’re good people who care about me”.

                Can you think of anything positive to say about them that doesn’t involve comparing them to Republicans? I can’t.

                • Natanael
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                  211 months ago

                  Can you define good without the definition comparing to bad?

    • @SCB@lemmy.world
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      2711 months ago

      If you click the article, you can hear recordings of this happening and read the emails where they plan it.

      It’s definitely true. Clear, unambiguous language is used throughout all evidence.

      • @jasondj@ttrpg.network
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        11 months ago

        Audio recordings don’t mean shit to these fucks. They’ll just grab it by the pussy and toss it into their basket of deplorables where some, I assume, are good. The whole thing will blow over by Easter.

      • themeatbridge
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        I think everyone is so bumfuzzled because they didn’t hide any of it. It was out in the open, live tweeting acts of treason. Smoking guns are really important when you didn’t watch them load the gun, aim the gun, and shoot the gun. We all saw the entire crime in real time, and it’s weird that justice is taking this long.

        • @DrPop@lemmy.ml
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          1911 months ago

          But the president has immunity.

          The idea that a president is above the law is insane. Also ignorance of the law is not a get out of jail free card.

        • @SCB@lemmy.world
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          1111 months ago

          The more significant the accused is, in terms of the survival of our democracy, the more ironclad and formality-adhering the prosecution must be.

          The wheels of justice turn slowly, and these cases are moving forward at a pretty solid clip. It’s not uncommon for a murder trial to take place a year-plus after an indictment, as an example.

          This will be analyzed much more closely than even a murder trial, so it is important to jump through every possible hoop.

          As for smoking guns, this evidence is a fucking Napoleonic battlefield of smoking guns.

          • @Anomaline@lemmy.world
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            611 months ago

            I hear this a lot, but the longer these things take the more likely it is that the government will shift and simply decide “well, the cases haven’t gone anywhere so at the beheadst of the Republican president we’re shutting it down.”

            It’s good to be thorough, but being so thorough that a conclusion to the charges isn’t on the timescale of Trump’s political career (or even life tbh) makes the whole process a waste of time and money. There needs to be more initiative being taken or the whole process may be moot.

      • @grue@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        What smoking guns? There’s so much smoke I can’t see anything through it!

      • Riskable
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        411 months ago

        Yes but right wing media does not cover these things and even worse: They give their audiences fresh, daily propaganda suggesting that crimes like this are no big deal (unless Democrats do them) and that the opposition will always seem so, so much worse than the worst Republican criminal.

        It’s the argument right wingers always fall back on when they’ve lost an argument or have run out of ways to change the topic: The other side is worst or “just as bad”. No. No they are not and objective reality proves this. There’s so, so many more criminal prosecutions and convictions of Republicans/conservatives in general than there are Democrats/liberals.

        Those on the right will claim the justice department is out to get Republicans yet law enforcement and the justice department itself have vastly more Republicans/conservatives. If there’s a crime to uncover on the Democrat side of things they are actively and wholeheartedly looking for it.

    • @CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      3111 months ago

      Wonder what kind of lies and bullshit they’re going to throw at this one.

      Bog standard “plug their ears and scream FAKE NEWS” with a dash of “rules for thee, but not for me”.

    • gregorum
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      Yeah, I’ll just throw it on this pile of other smoking guns we have here.

  • Melllvar
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    11 months ago

    Two days before the January 6 insurrection, the Trump campaign’s plan to use fake electors to block President-elect Joe Biden from taking office faced a potentially crippling hiccup: The fake elector certificates from two critical battleground states were stuck in the mail

    Reminder that Trump’s Postmaster General sabotaged the post office’s handling capacity in order to interfere with absentee voting.

    • Phoenixz
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      3111 months ago

      Yeah how come that everyone already has forgotten about that one? I remember people having problems with receiving critical medication (and that was just a ‘side effect’) because of this yet nobody’s talking about it anymore

      • One of my biggest let downs with Biden is that he didn’t fire that DeJoy asshole in the first week. I get that his team doesn’t think he has authority, but they know there’s a reasonable argument that they do. They should just fire his ass and let it play out, the other side certainly would.

        • @Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          411 months ago

          The other side literally did that for a position they had no legal argument for until SCOTUS invented it for them.

  • @jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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    6811 months ago

    Another opportunity to say all I really want is a plugin that replaces every instance of “Ron Johnson” with “That fucker, Ron Johnson.”

  • Don Escobar
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    6311 months ago

    I’m going to need all you libtards to show me where on the constitution it says that crimes are illegal or that presidents can’t commit a lil treason every now and then

    Also, what’s taking so long to throw this shitbag in jail already

    • @tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
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      1111 months ago

      If SCOTUS rules that sitting presidents are immune from all crimes I want biden to just fucking chainsaw the cheeto in the face. Maybe that’d be a big enough object lesson for maga zombies, but probably not even then.

      • @assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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        811 months ago

        They’ve got quite the conundrum on their hands. Do they affirm the power of states and the presidency, and strengthen Democrats? Or do they weaken the power of states and the presidency, and weaken Republicans and Trump’s position? Or do they try to have the best of both worlds, and deepen their reputation as corrupt and become even more highly unpopular?

        I hope they’re really frustrated about this.

  • LeadersAtWork
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    5711 months ago

    Everyone keeps talking about how Biden will likely win against Trump. I don’t disagree. Most of my concern is if Trump is allowed to run just how much more brazen him and his team will be.

    Not to mention how dangerous his supporters may become. Cults aren’t known for their logical and clear understanding.

    • @Euphorazine@lemmy.world
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      1211 months ago

      The worst part, is the states that have proposed blocking trump from the ballot aren’t really swing states, so it will just embolden his supporters if he wins to be like “they tried to cheat and still lost!”

      Like, a state like Tennessee could not include Biden on the ballots and it wouldn’t change the outcome of the presidential election with how the electoral college votes are calculated.

    • @Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      411 months ago

      Sure but this time the National Guard’s reins aren’t held by someone hoping it succeeds. They’re going to need a lot more violence to get past security this time.

    • @lennybird@lemmy.world
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      311 months ago

      The cult failed even when Trump had power from within the White House and a corrupt US Attorney General. Much harder now when everyone is on guard and he has no executive power, fortunately.

      2020 was far more risky than 2024 in my opinion.

  • @badaboomxx@lemmy.world
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    4511 months ago

    Hope that those with ties to this attempted insurrection get called for being traitors and be at least, banned yo get any work in government

  • @Willy@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    Mike Pence is a national hero. he knew about these and said he wouldn’t accept them even if delivered. he stood strong when thousands outside wanted to lynch him. As much as I don’t agree with him, he is a true patriot. I don’t think he gets enough credit. without his backbone we would be in an even crazier place.

    • Subverb
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      4811 months ago

      Darth Vader didn’t stop being a villain just because he killed the Emperor.

      Pence did one good thing after years of killing Younglings.

      • billwashere
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        911 months ago

        Do I despise Pence for all the shit he did to enable Trump? Yep. Do I applaud him for doing the right thing when it REALLY mattered? You better bet I do. If he kept doing the right thing and spoke truth to power in the face of repercussions I’d think he’d be entitled to be given the respect he’d deserve. People can change and we have to respect it when they do. Do I think Pence would keep doing the right thing? I have no idea but I wouldn’t bet on it. Would he be a better president than Trump? Well just being a functioning adult would qualify. Would that make him a good president? I doubt it. Everybody applauds Reagan but in hindsight he did almost irreparable harm to this country. Some would disagree with me and that’s their right to be wrong 😋

    • @ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world
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      4011 months ago

      Hero is too strong a word. It took far too long for him to tell anyone what happened and he hasn’t once called out Trump for being a traitor or trying to overthrow our democracy. During the Republican debates this year he agreed he’d endorse the Republican candidate regardless of who it was, including Trump.

      Pence could have been a hero but he’s tried too hard to stay in the middle and not offend the MAGAts when we’ve really needed the truth.

    • @lennybird@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Pence just had a few more braincells than the rest in knowing the consequences of this action versus the probability of it actually succeeding. He’s no hero. He’s no Patriot. As always, he is a self-serving sociopath.

      • @assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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        811 months ago

        Sometimes I wonder if that’s all it takes. For all the stories and myths we have celebrating selfless heroism, perhaps it’s often well placed self preservation.

    • @madcaesar@lemmy.world
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      2611 months ago

      Hero is the wrong word. He did the bare minimum as to not be a traitor. Which is something I guess given the state of the GOP.

      • @Nastybutler@lemmy.world
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        211 months ago

        Such a low bar to clear. Don’t commit treason and follow a would be dictator, and have people call you a hero. Sheesh

  • Ghostalmedia
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    2811 months ago

    Well, this makes it even more terrifying that this guy is running for office again.