Trump’s lawyers believed Clarence Thomas was their 'only chance' at overturning the presidential election: report

Trump’s lawyers believed Clarence Thomas was their 'only chance' at overturning the presidential election: report
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Former President Donald Trump's attorneys believed an appeal submitted directly to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas would have been their best to overturn the 2020 presidential election, newly disclosed emails have revealed.

According to Politico, emails sent during the days leading up to the January 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol have been revealed. One of the emails examined by the House Select Commitee was written by Trump's attorney Kenneth Chesebro.

Speaking to the former president's legal team on Dec. 31, 2020, Chesebro wrote, “We want to frame things so that Thomas could be the one to issue some sort of stay or other circuit justice opinion saying Georgia is in legitimate doubt."

READ MORE: John Eastman ties to Clarence Thomas scrutinized after Ginni Thomas election text revelations: report

“Realistically, our only chance to get a favorable judicial opinion by Jan. 6, which might hold up the Georgia count in Congress, is from Thomas -- do you agree, Prof. Eastman?”

Eastman responded to the question saying, “I think I agree with this” as he suggested that "a favorable move by Thomas or other justices would 'kick the Georgia legislature into gear' to help overturn the election results," the news outlet reports.

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls from them indicating to me they’re leaning that way,” Eastman said at the time, according to copies of the emails that were reviewed by Politico.

Per the news outlet: "Thomas is the justice assigned to handle emergency matters arising out of Georgia and would have been the one to receive any urgent appeal of Trump’s lawsuit to the Supreme Court — a fact that seemed to be part of the Trump legal team’s calculus."

READ MORE: 'Legal loophole': MSNBC’s Hasan explains 'the wonky rule' that could turn Clarence Thomas into Trump’s secret weapon

The emails also highlighted the efforts made to get the former president to sign documents in reference to a post-election lawsuit filed in Georgia. The news outlet noted that those documents also included "acute concerns Trump’s lawyers voiced during that chaotic period that Trump might put himself in legal jeopardy if he attested to the voter fraud data contained in it."

“I have no doubt that an aggressive DA or US Atty someplace will go after both the President and his lawyers once all the dust settles on this,” Eastman wrote in the series of emails.

Court records also indicate "Trump’s signature was ultimately attested to by William McCathran, an assistant executive clerk working for the White House."

"Trump’s signature was key to U.S. District Judge David Carter’s Oct. 19 ruling that the emails must be disclosed to the House Jan. 6 committee. Carter said Trump signed the verification to a federal court complaint under penalty of perjury despite evidence that he’d been told many of the fraud claims in the lawsuit were inaccurate."

According to Carter, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, the messages “show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public."

READ MORE: Ginni Thomas continued to associate with Big Lie promoters even after Trump left office: report

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