DOJ expands probe of Republicans who allegedly tried to 'infiltrate' DNC before 2020 election: report

2020 was an incredibly tumultuous year in the United States, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the murder of George Floyd and the unrest that followed to a bitter presidential race. Former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results are the focus of two separate criminal investigations: one by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and special counsel Jack Smith, the other by Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis.

Trump's MAGA supporters were willing to go to great lengths to get him reelected in 2020, including — according to CNN's Kara Scannell — possibly trying to "infiltrate" the Democratic National Committee (DNC) "ahead of the election."

Federal DOJ prosecutors, Scannell reports, have been investigating those efforts and "have subpoenaed Richard Seddon, a former British intelligence official, and Susan Gore, a Republican donor and heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune" in connection with their probe.

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"The investigation appears to stem from a 2021 New York Times article that, citing interviews and documents, detailed 'an undercover operation by conservatives to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns, and the offices of Democratic as well as moderate Republican elected officials during the 2020 election cycle,'" Scannell reports. "One of the subpoenas, which was sent in the past two weeks, seeks documents and communications from January 2018 through the present involving numerous limited liability companies and individuals, including Gore; Seddon; Erik Prince, the security contractor and brother to former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos; and James O’Keefe, the former head of Project Veritas."

The CNN reporter adds, "The people familiar with the investigation said prosecutors are looking into whether any campaign finance laws were violated. No one has been accused of any wrongdoing."

Scannell notes that the New York Times "reported that two operatives trained by Seddon pledged sizable political donations ranging from $1250 to $10,000 to Democratic organizations and candidates."

"Some of the donations gained the operatives, a couple, entry to fundraisers and even a Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas," Scannell explains. "It is not clear where the couple got the money to make the donations. It is illegal to use another person's name to make political donations, and prosecutors have brought numerous so-called straw donor prosecutions in recent years."

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On June 25, 2021, New York Times journalists Mark Mazzetti and Adam Goldman reported that "conservatives" Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca attended Democratic events in Las Vegas pretending to be "idealistic Democrats."

Mazzetti and Goldman reported, "During a cocktail reception…. they worked the room of party officials, rainbow donkey pins affixed to their lapels. In fact, much about them was a lie. Mr. Maier and Ms. LaRocca were part of an undercover operation by conservatives to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns and the offices of Democratic as well as moderate Republican elected officials during the 2020 election cycle, according to interviews and documents. Using large campaign donations and cover stories, the operatives aimed to gather dirt that could sabotage the reputations of people and organizations considered threats to a hard-right agenda advanced by President Donald J. Trump."

Ultimately, efforts to keep Trump in the White House failed. Now-President Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes and defeated Trump by more than 7 million in the popular vote.

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CNN's full report is available at this link.