["The president seeks an unconstitutional restriction on the right
to vote... He is violating his duty to defend the Constitution."]
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1,000 LAWYERS HIT FALSE CLAIMS OF ELECTION FRAUD  
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Julia Conley
November 13, 2020
Common Dreams
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_ "The president seeks an unconstitutional 'restriction on the right
to vote'... He is violating his duty to defend the Constitution." _

Supporters of U.S. president Donald Trump gather in front of the
White House near counter protesters in Washington, D.C. on November
13, 2020, Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

 

A coalition of 1,000 legal experts and scholars Friday denounced
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unconstitutional President Donald Trump's ongoing refusal to accept
the election results and called on his legal team to meet their
"ethical obligations" by ending their support for the his false claims
and assertions.

An open letter signed 
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retired federal and state judges, former state attorneys general who
served under Republican and Democratic governors, and law professors
condemned Trump's claims of fraud as being presented "without evidence
and false," singling out Republican officials who have publicly
supported the president's efforts to have thousands of ballots thrown
out.

"There has never been a more important time for America's lawyers to
acknowledge the importance of these solemn commitments, and to demand
accountability for those lawyers and federal officials who do not live
up to their oaths and ethical obligations."
—1,000 legal experts

"The President of the United States has directed the filing of court
cases seeking to stop ballots from being counted on the ground that
there has been widespread ballot fraud," the legal experts wrote. "His
sons have sharply criticized Republicans who are not backing their
father’s claims. Following these comments, Senators Ted Cruz and
Lindsey Graham, both attorneys, and House Minority Leader Kevin
McCarthy participated in interviews where they echoed the president's
allegations of fraud."

By urging the justice system to disqualify ballots cast by eligible
voters, the experts wrote, "the president seeks an unconstitutional
'restriction on the right to vote' under _Reynolds v. Sims_. He is
violating his duty to defend the Constitution."

Major news outlets Thursday night projected that Biden officially won
Arizona, leading the president by more than 11,000 votes, and
announced early Friday afternoon that he was also the winner in
Georgia. 
[[link removed]]Biden
leads the president by about 14,000 votes in Georgia, where a recount
has begun
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According to most tallies, Biden now holds 
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electoral votes versus Trump's 232. In the popular vote, more than
five million voters supported the Democratic former vice president
over Trump.

The president has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan,
Georgia, and Nevada—despite the fact that he would need to convince
courts that tens of thousands of votes in each state were
fraudulent. 

Earlier this week a lawyer for Trump admitted in a Pennsylvania court
that more than 500 votes the Trump campaign deemed questionable were
not actually fraudulent. The president's team also drew stunned
reactions
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political observers on Thursday when it produced 238 pages of poll
watchers' affidavits in Michigan, alleging that rude facial
expressions from election workers and loud noises in a ballot counting
center amounted to election tampering.

"Lawyers who represent the president, or his campaign, in challenges
to this election—like all lawyers who appear in court—have an
ethical obligation of candor to the court," the legal experts wrote.
"There has never been a more important time for America's lawyers to
acknowledge the importance of these solemn commitments, and to demand
accountability for those lawyers and federal officials who do not live
up to their oaths and ethical obligations."

Former Justice Department official Stuart Gerson, who worked under the
George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, told
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Today_ that he signed the letter because "it is an abuse of the rule
of law to file charges that lack an objective evidentiary basis."

"It is a violation of attorney ethics to represent a party that files
such charges purely for political purposes," Gerson added. 

The letter also includes a condemnation of Attorney General William
Barr, who the experts say added to his own "shameful legacy" when he
authorized investigations of election fraud in the days after the
election. 

"This unprecedented moment transcends partisanship," said the experts.
"The country and the world are watching to see how America responds to
the president’s shameful attack on the legitimacy of America's
voting process." 

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