AFTER (December)

49 min readJan 2, 2021

December 2020

In December, Trump continued to push lies and conspiracy theories about the election, not only failing to concede, but pushing efforts to overthrow the election results. During this month, Trump became increasingly isolated as even loyalists pushed back on his false allegations or resigned, leaving an inner circle composed almost entirely of his family members and conspiracy theorists. Trump continued to avoid the press and the American people, seeming to hide in the White House, other than a brief holiday trip to Mar-a-Lago.

This month the Supreme Court, which Trump had viewed as loyalists who would act at his behest, rejected his election challenges. Other setbacks came on December 8 when the safe harbor deadline passed, and then on December 14 when the Electoral Colleges in each state cast their votes, and ratified Biden’s victory — a typically mundane process that goes unnoticed, which was for first time was broadcast live and closely watched. After the results were ratified, Senate Republican leadership recognized Biden as president-elect, while House leadership continued to demure. Trump raged against all those who refused to go along with his despot coup, while his supporters took to threatening election officials and other subjects of his ire.

This month, a major Russian hacking — perhaps the most significant of modern times — of federal agencies and corporations was revealed. As has been a familiar pattern, Trump refused to acknowledge Russia’s involvement or condemn the attack, which some lawmakers likened to an act of war. December also marked the most deadly month of the worsening pandemic, which Trump almost completely ignored, along with any and all other presidential responsibilities.

Although Trump had yet to admit defeat, he did grant several controversial pardons, including four figures that were subjects of the Mueller probe, as well as Jared Kushner’s father, and employees of a company run by loyalist Erik Prince who were found guilty of murdering Iraqi civilians. As the month came to a close, Trump continued to push for allies to overturn the election and hence America’s still young experiment in democracy. And tragically, many Republicans appeared all too happy to comply with his antics, despite the damage to our democracy and world standing, in order to benefit their own political futures.

Dec. 1: WAPO reported Trump’s political operation raised more than $170 million since election day. The huge haul was one reason Trump and his allies continued to spread false election claims, even as their lawsuits failed.
The surge in donations was composed largely of small donations from Trump’s base of loyal supporters. Much of the money is expected to go into an account for Trump to use on political activities after he leaves office.
Dec. 1: CNN reported Christopher Maier, the top official leading the Pentagon’s Defeat-ISIS Task Force, resigned, the latest in the shake-up of top officials departing and being replaced by Trump loyalists.
Dec. 1: CNN reported FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was summoned to the White House to meet with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, as Trump demanded to know why approval of vaccines was not happening sooner.
Dec. 1: At a White House indoor Christmas party, Trump told supporters, “It’s been an amazing four years. We are trying to do another four years. Otherwise, I’ll see you in four years.”
Dec. 1: Attorney General William Barr told the AP there was no widespread election fraud, saying, “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
Barr’s comments, which refuted Trump’s ongoing lies and conspiracy theories, drew immediate criticism from Rudy Giuliani, who said, “there hasn’t been any semblance” of an investigation on our claims.
Barr also told AP he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal regulations that governed Robert Mueller, in order to protect his investigation under Biden.
Dec. 1: Recently pardoned Michael Flynn called on Trump in a statement to “immediately declare a limited form of Martial Law,” and “temporarily suspend the Constitution” to allow “the military oversee a re-vote.”
Dec. 1: Gabriel Sterling, a Republican voting system manager in Georgia, said at a news conference, “It has to stop,” noting Trump’s misinformation was leading to death threats of elected officials and election workers.
An emotional Sterling said Trump had not condemned threats or violent language, and said of Republicans, “This is elections. This is the backbone of democracy, and all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this.”
Sterling added Trump “likely lost the state of Georgia,” and said Trump needed to “step up” and “stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt…someone is going to get killed.”
Trump continued to attack Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, tweeting the state had been “scammed” and urging Kemp to “call off” the election. Trump supporters also protested near the Capitol.
Dec. 1: According to a partially redacted court filing made public by the D.C. District Court, the DOJ is investigating a bribery scheme involving funneling money to the White House in exchange for presidential pardons.
The records show Chief Judge Beryl Howell’s review in August of a request from prosecutors to access documents; however the timeline of the scheme and names of people potentially involved were redacted.
Dec. 1: NYT reported Trump has discussed with advisers pardoning Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric, as well as Jared Kushner. He also spoke to Giuliani about pardoning him as recently as last week.
Trump has said he believes Biden’s DOJ might seek retribution against his three eldest children and Kushner. Although Donald Jr. was tied to the Mueller probe, the others’ exposure was unclear.
Dec. 1: Trump tweeted, threatening to veto the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which authorized pay raises and other military spending, over his upset with his treatment by social media companies.
Dec. 2: NBC News reported data released by the Small Business Administration revealed 25 PPP loans, worth more than $3.65 million, were given to real estate properties associated with Trump and Kushner.
Dec. 2: Politico reported GOP Rep. Mo Brooks baselessly claimed the election was “badly flawed,” and said if Republican Senators join him, he planned to challenge the Electoral College count on Jan. 6.
Dec. 2: Trump released a 46-minute video rant on Facebook full of lies and conspiracy theories, claiming the election system was “under coordinated assault and siege” and that it was “statistically impossible” for him to lose.
The remarks were Trump’s most comprehensive yet on his alternative reality since the election, after which he has mostly been out of sight. He released an edited two-minute version on Twitter, which was labeled as “disputed.”
Standing behind the presidential lectern in the Diplomatic Reception Room, flanked by American flags, Trump lied that “corrupt forces” stuffed ballot boxes and there was “massive” fraud “on a scale never seen before.”
Trump lied, “This election was rigged,” adding, “If we don’t root out the fraud” in the 2020 election, “we don’t have a country anymore,” and continued his conspiracy theory about Dominion Voting Systems.
As the video was released, Giuliani addressed Michigan state legislators and citizens, lying that there were voting irregularities, largely in Detroit, and lying that there “was a plan to steal this election.”
Giuliani said, “We have to fight,” and “You have to get them [GOP lawmakers] to remember their oath to the constitution sometimes requires being criticized,” and “It sometimes even requires being threatened.”
Dec. 2: Fox Business host Lou Dobbs suggested Barr was part of a plot, saying he must be “either a liar or a fool or both,” and “appeared to join in with the radical Dems and the deep state and the resistance.”
Dec. 2: In a series of false and flagged daily tweets, Trump suggested a photo of a Nevada doctor battling coronavirus was staged at a “fake hospital,” adding, “Fake election results in Nevada, also!”
Trump also repeated various lies about election fraud, claiming, “We won Michigan by a lot!” and other lies and conspiracy theories about elections in states that already certified results. Twitter labeled the tweets.
Dec. 2: WAPO reported Trump was livid at Barr, and was considering firing him for undercutting his election lies, and for lack of result in probing the FBI’s 2016 investigation of his campaign. Trump is also furious at Durham.
Dec. 2: WAPO reported Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invited 900 people to a holiday party at the State Department, after advising employees a week ago that “any non-mission critical events” should be held virtually.
Dec. 2: Joseph diGenova, a Trump campaign lawyer, resigned under pressure from the Gridiron Club, following his comments last week that former chief cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs should be executed.
Dec. 2: Legal advocates said in a legal filing that the Trump regime had finally turned over new data that may help reunite the more than 600 families still separated under Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy.
Dec. 3: CNN reported Ivanka was deposed by the D.C. attorney general as part of a lawsuit alleging misuse of funds by the Inaugural Committee through “grossly overpaying” for use of event space at Trump Hotel DC.
Dec. 3: NYT reported Trump was sued by a group of New York tenants for tacking on at least 20% extra to the cost of materials purchased for apartments, following an investigation by the Times published in 2018.
Dec. 3: The DOJ, on behalf of the Trump regime, sued Facebook, alleging the company reserved jobs for temporary workers including H-1B visa holders, discriminating against U.S. workers.
Dec. 3: Asked in a CBS News interview whether intelligence shows any foreign adversary or criminal group changing the results of the election, DNI John Ratcliffe said, “Not that we’ve been able to determine.”
Dec. 3: AP reported Heidi Stirrup, a Trump loyalist and ally of adviser Stephen Miller, who was installed as liaison to the DOJ a few months ago, was banned from the DOJ building after trying to get case information.
Stirrup reportedly demanded DOJ staffers give her information about investigations, including election fraud matters. She also extended job offers to political allies without consulting senior department officials.
Dec. 3: Asked by reporters at a White House ceremony if he still had confidence in Barr, Trump said, “Ask me that in a number of weeks from now. They should be looking at all of this fraud.”
Dec. 3: In Georgia, Giuliani pushed state lawmakers not to certify election results, presenting the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee with witnesses and so-called experts who shared conspiracy theories and baseless claims.
Dec. 3: Business Insider reported Donald Jr. is considering a run to lead the National Rifle Association, as the Trump family looks to cement its hold on the Republican Party.
Dec. 3: Trump threatened the Georgia Senate runoff, tweeting, “the best way” to insure a victory for the Republicans “is to allow signature checks in the Presidential race, which will insure a Georgia Presidential win.”
While Trump was furious with some GOP officials in the state, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniels convinced him to hold a rally on Saturday, saying he would get credit if the two Republicans won, and be blamed if they lost, regardless.
At a White House meeting about keeping the Senate, Trump said QAnon followers “basically believe in good government,” leaving the room silent until Meadows interjected he had never heard them described that way.
Dec. 3: NYT reported incendiary rhetoric from Trump and his allies has resulted in election officials in states Trump is contesting being threatened, including high ranking officials and unknown members of their staffs.
Dec. 4: Financial disclosures revealed Trump had raised $207.5 million since he lost the election, of which just 25% goes to the RNC. Only donors giving more than $6,000 are fully allocated to the “recount” account.
Dec. 4: Politico reported Trump fired nine members of the Pentagon’s Defense Business Board in a generic email, and replaced them with loyalists, including Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie.
The firings came as a surprise to those who received the email, and were not performance based. By charter, the board can have up to 25 members, and prior to the firings had only 16 members.
Dec. 4: WAPO reported the Department of Defense rejected or did not approve requests from Biden’s transition team to meet with officials at U.S. intelligence agencies that are controlled by the Pentagon.
NBC News reported that it is Trump loyalist Kash Patel who is blocking some career officials from giving information about key defense issues to Biden’s transition team.
Dec. 4: Giuliani blasted Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania who said they would not overturn Biden’s victory there by appointing Trump electors, tweeting they “let down America” and “I’m ashamed of them.”
Dec. 4: Dozens of Pennsylvania state lawmakers, including the speaker of the House, called on the state’s Congressional delegation to challenge Biden’s victory when federal lawmakers certify the vote on January 6.
Arizona Republican lawmakers however rebuked Giuliani in a statement, calling his efforts to overturn the election “breathtaking.”
Dec. 4: CNN reported the DOJ bribery-for-a-presidential-pardon investigation involved Abbe Lowell, a lawyer who also represented Jared and Ivanka, on behalf of Republican lobbyist and fundraiser Elliott Broidy.
Dec. 4: CNN reported a growing number of White House staffers at all levels were planning their departures. Trump’s refusal to accept defeat unnerved staffers, concerned he was tarnishing his legacy and democracy.
Dec. 4: A federal judge ordered the Trump regime to fully restore the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and to start accepting new petitions for the program again.
Dec. 4: Trump and his allies lost cases in all six states he was contesting, with judges ruling decisively that his side had not proved the election was fraudulent, citing his claims lacked merit and posed a risk to democracy.
AP tallied Trump and his allies had brought more than 50 cases in trying to overturn results in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. More than 30 cases had been rejected or dropped.
Dec. 4: Former Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said in an interview, “it looks like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will prevail,” adding, “I assume the electors will certify that and it will be official.”
Dec. 4: California certified its electors, officially given Biden an Electoral College majority of 279, enough to become president.
Dec. 5: WAPO reported after reaching out to the 249 Republicans in the House and Senate on Dec. 2, just 25 acknowledged Biden won, while two claimed Trump won. More than 70% did not respond to the Post.
When GOP leaders were pressed during the week, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The future will take care of itself,” and House Leader Kevin McCarthy, “Let’s wait until [we see] who’s sworn in.”
Shortly after, Trump demanded to know the names of the 25, tweeting, “I am surprised there are so many,” adding, “Please send me a list of the 25 RINOS. I read the Fake News Washington Post as little as possible.”
Dec. 5: WAPO reported Trump called Kemp to pressure him for help in Georgia, by persuading the state legislature to overturn Biden’s victory and for him to order an audit of absentee ballot signatures.
Shortly after, Trump tweeted, “I will easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor @BrianKempGA or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification…Why are these two “Republicans” saying no?”
Shortly after, Kemp tweeted, “As I told the President this morning, I’ve publicly called for a signature audit three times.” Trump responded, “But you never got the signature verification!…. What are they hiding?”
Dec. 5: Covid-19 was the leading cause of death this week for the first time, with 11,820 Americans dying from the virus. In the first five days of December there were over 1,000,000 new cases, a record 7-day average.
Dec. 5: NYT reported Trump posted more than 130 tweets lashing out with false information on the election. Advisors say Trump is moody, sometimes depressed, increasingly isolated, and barely showing up for work.
Trump is fixated on rewarding friends, purging disloyal employees, and punishing perceived enemies, including Republican governors and other officials, Barr, and repeatedly tweeting attacks on Fox News.
As Trump’s inner-circle shrinks, he told one ally who was trying to get him to stand down, “I’m never, ever going to concede.” Trump is not listening to advisers and many are not listening to him.
Dec. 5: Trump held a rally in Georgia that was meant to urge turnout for the Senate runoff; but most of the 100-minute rambling speech focused on his grievances and spreading baseless allegations of voter fraud.
Trump falsely claimed, “We won Georgia, just so you know,” and lied that, “We never lost an election, we’re winning this election,” and added, “Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror.”
Trump lied to his crowd of packed-together, mostly-maskless supporters, “We have so much evidence, we don’t know what to do with it,” adding, “Hopefully our legislatures or our Supreme Court will save our country,”
Trump added, “I want to stay on presidential, but I got to get to these two.” There were chants of “Fight for Trump” that drowned out Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue when they briefly spoke to the crowd.
Trump attacked Raffensperger, saying make sure he “knows what the hell he’s doing,” and added Kemp “should be ashamed of himself,” and floated the idea of loyalist Doug Collins primarying Kemp in 2022.
Dec. 6: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar referred to Biden as “vice president” on Fox News Sunday. Anchor Chris Wallace interjected “He’s the president-elect, sir,” but Azar did not respond.
Dec. 6: DNI Ratcliffe refused to acknowledge Biden’s win, telling Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, “Well, these election issues, we’ll see who’s in what seats and whether there is a Biden administration.”
Dec. 6: NYT reported Barr is considering resigning before Trump’s term ends. By leaving early, Barr could avoid a confrontation with Trump over his refusal to back Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud.
Dec. 6: Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus, and was admitted to the Georgetown University Medical Center. He traveled to Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia in the past week, and was seen without a mask.
Giuliani’s son Andrew tested positive on Nov. 20, the day after the news conference with his father at the RNC. Boris Epshteyn, a member of the campaign legal team who was at the conference, also tested positive.
Shortly after, AZ Central reported the Arizona Legislature will close for a week “out of an abundance of caution,” after Giuliani met with, and possibly exposed, several Republican lawmakers.
Dec. 6: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said dozens of armed protestors showed up at her home Saturday night, yelling, “stop the steal.” One protestor is heard on video yelling, “you’re murderers.”
Dec. 7: A Black Michigan lawmaker who participated in Giuliani’s hearing last week published voicemails of Trump supporters threatening her life. One caller said she would be “hanging from the gallows.”
Dec. 7: Raffensperger recertified Georgia’s election for Biden, after a recount requested by Trump, telling reporters, “We have now counted legally cast ballots three times, and the results remain unchanged.”
Dec. 7: Federal judges in Michigan and Georgia denied Trump’s bid to undo certification of their votes. The Michigan judge said allegations of fraud were based on “nothing but speculation and conjecture.”
Dec. 7: Kemp issued a stern reminder to Georgia’s state legislatures that picking their own presidential electors is “not an option,” after a push by six members to select a separate slate of electors.
Dec. 7: Nearly 1,500 lawyers issued a letter calling on bar associations across the country to investigate, and potentially penalize, members of the Trump campaign legal team, including Giuliani as leader of the effort.
The group wrote, “It is indefensible for lawyers to falsely proclaim widespread voting fraud, submit a pattern of frivolous court claims and actively seek to undermine citizens’ faith in our election’s integrity.”
Dec. 7: CBS News reported Dr. James Phillips, the ER doctor who publicly criticized Trump’s decision to drive with Secret Service agents to greet supporters, was removed from the Walter Reed Medical Center schedule.
Dec. 7: At a Medal of Freedom Ceremony at the White House, Trump told reporters, “Well, you know, in politics, I won two, so I’m 2 and 0,” adding, “that’s pretty good, too. But we’ll see how that turns out.”
Trump also falsely claimed, “It was a rigged election,” adding, “it’s a disgrace to our country,” and comparing the U.S. election to being “like a third world country these ballots pouring in from everywhere.”
Trump then wandered out of his office, leaving his Medal of Freedom recipient, wrestler Dan Gable, unsure of what to do next. Gable was the eleventh athlete of the 19 Medals of Freedom awarded by Trump.
Dec. 7: STAT reported the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna declined invitations to participate in Trump’s White House “Vaccine Summit,” an event drug industry officials largely viewed as a publicity stunt.
Dec. 7: NYT reported the Trump regime passed on the opportunity to lock in supplies of Pfizer vaccine beyond the 100 million doses months ago. Pfizer had repeatedly offered, then signed contracts with other countries.
Trump planned to issue an executive order Tuesday saying other countries would not get U.S. vaccines until Americans have been inoculated, but the order had no real teeth. The next Pfizer allotment would be in June 2021.
Dec. 7: CNN reported that far-right allies of Trump in the House are urging him not to concede, even after the December 14 Electoral College vote, and instead take the fight to the floors of Congress on Jan. 6.
When electors are sent to Congress, one House member and one senator can challenge a state’s electors, and stall the process. Allies like Reps. Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz pushed for a debate. No GOP Senator had agreed yet.
Dec. 7: Sen. Ted Cruz said on Fox News’ “Hannity” that he would argue before the Supreme Court, if they take the case, on behalf of Rep. Mike Kelly that seven million Pennsylvania mail-in votes should be tossed out.
Dec. 7: Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News Georgia needs an audit of the ballot signatures, saying a “civil war is brewing in Georgia.” House Whip James Clyburn lambasted Graham, saying he has “lost grip on reality.”
Dec. 7: Florida State police raided the home of Rebekah Jones, the former Department of Health data scientist who built the state’s much-praised Covid-19 dashboard, pointing guns at her and her children.
Jones tweeted they were serving a warrant, and took her computer and other items including communication with other staffers, saying, “This was [Gov. Ron ]DeSantis. He sent the gestapo.” DeSantis denied involvement.
Dec. 8: WAPO reported Trump called Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler twice in the last week to ask him to personally intervene in helping to overturn the state’s results and reverse his loss there.
The calls marked the third state where Trump directly attempted to overturn results (also Michigan and Georgia). Cutler told Trump the legislature had no power to overturn the state’s chosen slate of electors.
Dec. 8: Texas AG Ken Paxton sued Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, alleging pandemic-era changes violated federal law, and asking the Supreme Court to block the states from voting in the Electoral College.
Dec. 8: The Twitter account for the Arizona Republican Party quoted a tweet that read, “I am willing to give my life for this fight,” and added, “He is. Are you?”
Dec. 8: Christopher Krebs sued the Trump campaign and diGenova for defamation, claiming they falsely claimed the election was stolen, attacked dissenting Republicans, and fraudulently reaped political donations.
Dec. 8: Trump’s lawyer Jenna Ellis, who also attended the Nov. 19 press conference, tested positive for coronavirus. Her diagnosis stirred West Wing fears because she attended a senior staff Christmas party last Friday.
Dec. 8: WAPO reported Trump loyalist Michael Pack, who was installed as head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media in June, refused to cooperate with the Biden transition team.
Dec. 8: In ending the Flynn legal saga, Judge Emmet Sullivan said Trump’s pardon of Flynn does not mean he is not guilty of lying to the FBI, and expressed skepticism in the DOJ’s rationale for abandoning the case.
Dec. 8: The Congressional Inaugural Committee voted 3–3, failing to pass simple language acknowledging Biden’s victory in an inauguration resolution, with McConnell, McCarthy, and Sen. Roy Blunt voting against.
Dec. 8: Trump held an Operation Warp Speed summit, taking credit for vaccines, calling it “a monumental national achievement,” that “will vanquish the problem, this horrible scourge, as I call it, the China virus.”
Trump added of the election, “let’s see whether or not somebody has the courage, whether it’s a legislator or legislatures, or whether it’s a justice of the Supreme Court” to do “what everybody in this country knows is right.”
When asked by reporters why the White House did not invite anyone from the incoming Biden administration to the summit, Trump said, “Hopefully the next administration will be the Trump administration.”
As Trump was taking a victory lap with more than 285,000 deaths on Fox News, Biden introduced his healthcare team on CNN and MSNBC, delivering a somber assessment of what laid ahead for Americans.
Dec. 8: The Supreme Court rejected Trump ally Rep. Kelly’s challenge to overturn the Pennsylvania results, with all nine justices joining the unanimous ruling — Amy Coney Barrett’s first election-related ruling.
The Supreme Court order was one sentence: “The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied.” Trump and his allies had lost about 50 challenges in five weeks.
Dec. 9: WSJ reported the federal government stockpile of respirator masks and other emergency supplies is at levels less than one-half of the goals adopted by the Trump regime in May.
Dec. 9: FT reported House and Senate Democrats launched an investigation into whether Kushner’s desire to refinance 666 Fifth Avenue factored into the Trump regime backing the Saudi-led Qatar blockade.
Dec. 9: An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey found while 95% of Democrats trust the results of the 2020 election being accurate, just 24% of Republicans said they did. For Independents, 67% trusted the results.
Dec. 9: Trump continued to pin his hopes on the Supreme Court, tweeting, “We will be INTERVENING in the Texas (plus many other states) case. This is the big one. Our Country needs a victory!”
Dec. 9: The Spokesman-Review reported volunteers were shaken after a man approached the Spokane County Democrats’ headquarters with a manifesto and what he claimed was a bomb. He also started a fire.
Dec. 9: All 50 states and DC officially certified their votes, with Biden winning 306 electoral votes, Trump 232. The safe harbor deadline passed on Dec. 8, so the certifications could not be contested or challenged.
Dec. 9: Republican attorneys general from 17 states told the Supreme Court in a filing that they support Paxton’s lawsuit. Trump also filed a motion to intervene “in his personal capacity” as a presidential candidate.
With Giuliani sidelined, the attorney named for Trump was John Eastman, a conservative law professor who wrote an op-ed falsely claiming Vice President-elect Kamala Harris might not be a native-born U.S. citizen.
Dec. 9: AJC reported Trump called Georgia AG Chris Carr on the evening of Dec. 8 and spoke to him for 15 minutes to warn him not to rally other Republican attorneys general against the Texas lawsuit.
Earlier in the day on Dec. 8, Carr’s office called the lawsuit by Texas Paxton “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong.” Shortly after, Sens. Perdue and Loeffler issued a joint statement in support of the lawsuit.
Dec. 9: NYT reported Trump asked Cruz to argue the Texas case if it reached the Supreme Court. Cruz agreed to. Sen. John Cornyn, a former Texas AG, said he was “not convinced” by the logic of the case.
Dec. 9: At the White House Hanukkah party, Trump told the crowd, “if certain very important people, if they have wisdom and if they have courage, we’re going to win this election in a landslide.”
Dec. 9: YouTube announced it would start removing videos that included misleading information about the election, including claims of voter fraud, noting the safe harbor deadline had passed so challenges were resolved.
Dec. 9: The U.S. recorded a record of more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day, with more than 285,000 total U.S. deaths. Trump took no steps to counter the pandemic, while his allies mocked precautions.
Dec. 9: NYT reported that Giuliani, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, and Trump got an antibody treatment that was in extremely short supply, after flouting restrictions. Giuliani noted his “celebrity” status gave him access.
Dec. 10: Trump agitated for the Supreme Court to take his case, tweeting the court “has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States,” and lying that the election was “RIGGED.”
Dec. 10: Twenty-three Democratic AGs, including the four states cited in the Texas AG suit, filed a motion with the Supreme Court in opposition. Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro called it a “seditious abuse of the judicial process.”
Dec. 10: More than half of House Republicans — 106 of 196 — signed on to an amicus brief supporting the Texas lawsuit. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise was the only member of GOP leadership to sign on.
Dec. 10: The Biden campaign announced that Hunter Biden, a longtime GOP target, was under investigation by federal prosecutors in Delaware over his “tax affairs,” including his business dealings with China.
Dec. 10: WAPO reported CDC Director Robert Redfield allegedly ordered the destruction of an email by Paul Alexander, a senior adviser to Azar who was seeking changes in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Charlotte Kent, editor in chief of MMWR, told House investigators she received instructions in August while on vacation. Committee Chair Clyburn note the Trump regime’s effort to “conceal and destroy evidence.”
Dec. 10: Redfield told the Council on Foreign Relations on the coronavirus, “Probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we’re going to have more deaths per day than we had on 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor.”
Dec. 11: The Austin American-Statesman reported the FBI subpoenaed Paxton amid whistleblower allegations that included abuse of office and bribery in his dealings with Austin investor Nate Paul.
Dec. 11: Trump continued to publicly pressure the Supreme Court, tweeting the justices should “do what everybody knows has to do be done,” and “They must show great Courage & Wisdom. Save the USA!!!”
Trump also criticized the FDA’s approval process, calling it “a big, old, slow turtle” while exhorting FDA Director Stephen Hahn to “get the dam vaccines out NOW,” and “Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!”
Dec. 11: AP reported White House Chief of Staff Meadows called Hahn and told him his job was in jeopardy if the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine was not issued by day’s end.
Dec. 11: NYT reported Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. had intensified the investigation of Trump for possible criminal charges, interviewing employees of Deutsche Bank and Aon, his lender and insurance broker.
Dec. 11: Bloomberg News reported the Trump campaign planned to buy ads on unspecified cable television networks to promote his effort to overturn the election based on disinformation on election fraud.
Dec. 11: NYT reported that in addition to the investigation of Hunter Biden in Delaware, Barr asked the top federal prosecutor in Pittsburgh to accept and vet any information that Giuliani had on the Biden family.
The arrangement immediately raised alarms at the FBI and DOJ that the investigation could draw the FBI into the 2020 election, and the DOJ could be seen as trying to placate Trump. The office has not brought charges.
Dec. 11: The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board issued an apology for endorsing Rep. Michael Waltz, one of the 106 Republicans who supported the Texas lawsuit.
Dec. 11: The Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out another Trump lawsuit, with the judge noting, “There is no credible evidence of misconduct or widespread fraud.”
Dec. 11: Lawyers for nonexistent “New California” and “New Nevada” filed a brief in support of the Texas lawsuit. A lawyer claimed his “new states in waiting” had an “absolute right” to intervene in the case.
Dec. 11: Twenty additional House Republicans joined the 106 members who pledged support the Texas lawsuit, including Minority Leader McCarthy.
Dec. 11: Friday evening, the Supreme Court rejected the Texas lawsuit in a three-sentence unsigned order, with 7 justices saying Texas did not have standing, and justices Alito and Thomas saying the case should be heard.
None of the justices, including three Trump appointees, said they would have granted the relief Texas sought. When he pushed through Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s rationale was she would help with election disputes.
Trump, who had expected to prevail, did not initially issue a statement, and was scheduled to attend a White House holiday party. WAPO reported guests were informed he would not be coming down from the residence.
Dec. 11: State GOP Chair Allen West tweeted a statement suggesting secession: “Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.”
Dec. 11: Giuliani told Fox News host Sean Hannity, “We’re not finished, believe me.” Shortly before midnight, Trump tweeted, “The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!”
Dec. 12: Trump tweeted, “This is a great and disgraceful miscarriage of justice. The people of the United States were cheated, and our Country disgraced. Never even given our day in Court!” His tweets were labeled.
Trump also sent a series of tweets, falsely claiming, “I WON THE ELECTION IN A LANDSLIDE,” and attacking GOP governors who did not comply, asking, “Who is a worse governor,” Kemp or Ducey, calling them “RINO.”
Trump continued to rage, tweeting, “WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!” and lied, “The Supreme Court had ZERO interest in the merits of the greatest voter fraud ever perpetrated on the United States of America.”
Dec. 12: WAPO tallied that 86 judges, ranging from state courts to the Supreme Court, and across the political spectrum including 38 GOP appointees, had rejected Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
Several issued scathing rebukes, including conservative Wisconsin state Justice Brian Hagedorn: “Something far more fundamental than the winner of Wisconsin’s electoral votes is implicated in this case…At stake, in some measure, is faith in our system of free and fair elections.”
Dec. 12: WSJ reported Trump is considering pushing to have a special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden and his baseless allegations of election fraud. Trump has asked advisers to look for possible candidates.
Senior White House officials discussed the possibility of special counsel for Hunter so Biden’s administration could not shut down the investigation. Trump was furious at Barr for not disclosing the investigation publicly.
Dec. 12: Trump excoriated Barr in three tweets for not publicly disclosing the Hunter Biden investigation before the election, which would have violated DOJ policy, calling Barr a “big disappointment.”
Dec. 12: Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio posted photos on Parler inside the White House claiming he had received a “last minute invite to an undisclosed location.” The White House claimed he was on a public tour.
Dec. 12: Thousands of maskless Trump supporters rallied in D.C., smaller than the crowd last month, hearing from speakers in front of the Supreme Court who railed against the Supreme Court, Fox News, and Biden.
Michael Flynn told the crowd, “We’re fighting with faith, and we’re fighting with courage.” Sebastian Gorka said, “We, thanks to our lord and savior, have already won.” Another speaker suggested destroying the GOP.
The crowd included Proud Boys and other white supremacists. At night, the scene became violent, as at least four people were stabbed, as police blocked the Proud Boys from entering Black Lives Matter Plaza.
More than three dozen were arrested during the night of unrest, as Proud Boys roamed the streets looking for a fight. They also tore Black Lives Matter signs from four historic Black churches and destroyed them.
Dec. 13: In a Fox News interview, Trump told host Brian Kilmeade he would continue to challenge the election, saying, “No, it’s not over,” and “We keep going, and we’re going to continue to go forward.”
Trump added, “We have numerous local cases. We’re, you know, in some of the states that got rigged and robbed from us. We won every one of them. We won Pennsylvania. We won Michigan. We won Georgia by a lot.”
Trump said, “Bill Barr should have stepped up,” adding, “All he had to do was say an investigation’s going on” on Hunter Biden, and said that Barr had an “obligation to set the record straight.”
Dec. 13: NYT reported the Trump regime planned to fast track vaccines for White House staffers, even as high-risk healthcare workers were prioritized. After the reporting, Trump delayed the plan.
Dec. 13: A CBS News poll found 62% of registered voters believe that the election is over and that it is time to move on; however 79% of Trump voters believe the election is not over and should be contested.
Dec. 13: NYT reported the Trump regime acknowledged hackers on behalf of a foreign government, almost certainly Russia per experts, broke into federal agencies including the Treasury and Commerce Departments.
The Trump regime said little about the hack which started as early as the spring, as it determined if other agencies were hacked. DHS took action Sunday night, and brought in CISA, whose head Trump recently fired.
Dec. 13: NYT reported Trump House allies planned to try to use Congress’s tallying of electoral results on January 6 to overturn the election, putting Pence, who is in charge of the tally, in a quandary.
Dec. 13: WAPO reported state and local officials warned that Trump’s increasingly desperate tweets about election fraud are putting public officials at risk, facing threats and possible violence from his supporters.
Last week, an “enemies” list of state and federal officials who rejected Trump’s baseless claims was placed on the dark web with officials’ home addresses and phone numbers.
Dec. 14: The electoral college convened in state capitals around the country to vote. Biden planned to address the nation after. Trump had nothing on his schedule, instead tweeting lies and grievances.
Dec. 14: Michigan closed all legislative offices in Lansing for Monday’s electoral college vote, amid “credible threats of violence.” In Arizona, security was increased in the state Capitol executive tower.
In Wisconsin, Capitol police escorted the electors through a secured entrance into the building, and security was tightened after some endured weeks of harassment and threats.
Dec. 14: Michigan Republican legislature leaders pulled Rep. Gary Eisen’s committee assignments for the rest of the term, after his radio comments that he was part of a group looking to disrupt the electoral college vote.
Dec. 14: Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller told “Fox & Friends” that Trump would have “an alternate slate of electors,” and he had until January 20 “to right the wrong of this fraudulent election and certify” Trump.
Dec. 14: WSJ Editorial Board wrote, “After losing at the Supreme Court, he [Trump] has no legal alternatives and ought to concede,” and called on the Republican Party to acknowledge the results and move on.
Dec. 14: The Arizona Republic reported an Arizona group, which claimed to represent the “sovereign citizens of the Great State of Arizona,” tried to deliver the state’s 11 electoral votes won by Biden to Trump.
Dec.14: On the first day Americans started to get the Pfizer vaccine, the death toll surpassed 300,000. The death toll was based on data from health authorities, but the real count is believed to be much higher.
Dec. 14: Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan, who was retiring, resigned from the GOP in a letter to McCarthy and RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, citing the party’s “long-term harm to our democracy” in supporting Trump’s actions.
Dec. 14: The Electoral College ratified Biden’s victory, with 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 236, as the nation watched, almost all for the first time observing this formality as state-by-state electoral votes were cast.
Shortly after, Trump tweeted that Barr would be stepping down on Dec. 23, praising him on the way out. AP reported Barr resigned on his own accord, and described his meeting with Trump that day as amicable.
Barr reciprocated the praise in his resignation letter, which extolled Trump’s achievements in his four years, and said the DOJ was pursuing accusations of voter fraud that he and Trump discussed that day.
Shortly after, in his most forceful defense of the election yet, Biden addressed the nation, saying, “In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” adding, “And now it is time to turn the page.”
He mentioned Trump by name for the first time, saying he “was denied no course of action,” and the Supreme Court “sent a clear signal” to him “that they would be no part of an unprecedented assault on our democracy.”
Dec. 14: An anchor on Newsmax, one of Trump’s alternatives in his recent souring on Fox News, referred to Biden as president-elect. The next day Newsmax announced it would use that label going forward.
Dec. 14: Politico reported Trump is aggressively fundraising off of the Georgia runoff, but in small print in texts and emails it is noted 75% of each donation up to $5,000 goes to Save America PAC, 25% to the RNC.
Dec. 14: WAPO reported DHS, the State Department, and National Institutes of Health were also hacked by Russia through SolarWinds network-management software. The extent of the damage was unknown.
Dec. 15: Shortly after midnight, Trump sent a series of tweets, falsely claiming he won, lying that “Many Trump votes were routed to Biden,” and “This Fake Election can no longer stand. Get moving Republicans.”
Trump continued to send tweets with lies and conspiracy theories during the day, including, “This is BIG NEWS. Dominion Voting Machines are a disaster all over the Country. Changed the results of a landslide election.”
Trump also retweeted a post by Georgia attorney Lin Wood, saying Trump gave Kemp and Raffensperger “every chance to get it right. They refused,” claiming, “They will soon be going to jail.”
Dec. 15: Six weeks after the election, McConnell acknowledged Biden had won the election. Some allies like Graham did not, saying, “It’s a very, very narrow path” for Trump, “I think we’ll let those legal challenges play out.”
McConnell and GOP Senate leadership also urged Senate Republicans not join in any efforts by Trump allies in the House to object to certifying Biden’s election win at the January 6 joint session.
Dec. 15: At a White House daily briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Trump “has taken all statutory requirements necessary to either ensure a smooth transition or a continuation of power.”
Dec. 15: A New York judge ordered the Trump Organization to turn over records to NY AG Letitia James related to the Seven Springs estate in Westchester Country, in the investigation of his conservation easement.
Dec. 15: In a demand letter, a lawyer for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago neighbors said the town should notify him he cannot live there when he leaves office, noting he violated an agreement by converting the residence into a club.
Dec. 15: WAPO reported fewer than 70 of the 900 invited attended Pompeo’s holiday party, as he canceled his scheduled speech. The next day the State Department said he was quarantining after being exposed to the virus.
Dec. 16: After midnight, Trump attacked McConnell, tweeting an article saying, “Trump’s allies slam Mitch McConnell for congratulating Biden,” and adding, “Too soon to give up…People are angry!”
Dec. 16: Politifact said the Lie of the Year was Trump downplaying Covid-19: he fueled confusion and conspiracies, lied that Covid accounted for only a small fraction of deaths, and undermined public health guidance.
Dec. 16: NYT reported according to two former employees, the Trump regime crushed the CDC during the pandemic, dismissing science, and with Trump advisers appointees overseeing messaging on the virus.
Dec. 16: Sen. Ron Johnson held a hearing before his committee on “election irregularities,” citing claims Republicans and the GOP have yet to prove existed, with Johnson lying, “There was fraud in this election.”
While GOP Senate leaders recognized Biden, Trump allies on the committee did not: Sen. Rand Paul lied that “fraud happened,” and Sen. Josh Hawley cited so many people believed allegations so they must have merit.
The ranking Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters, said, “Amplifying these obviously false narratives about fraud or irregularities corrodes public trust; it threatens national security; and it weakens our democracy and our standing around the world.”
Krebs testified, saying the “continued assaults on democracy and the outcome of this election only serves to undermine confidence in the process and is ultimately corrosive.”
Krebs added it was a “secure election,” and “we’re past the point where we need to be having conversations about the outcome of this election.” He also cited concerns about “targeted violence” against election workers.
Dec. 16: Sen. Graham told reporters the DOJ should name a special counsel to investigate Hunter for his business dealing with Ukraine and any activity with the Chinese government. He made similar comments on Fox News.
Dec. 16: House Minority Leader McCarthy had yet to acknowledge Biden’s win, as pro-Trump House members led by Rep. Mo Brooks called McConnell and other GOP Senate leaders the “surrender caucus.”
Dec. 16: AP reported Trump is already considering firing his incoming AG Jeffrey Rosen if he does not appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter. He also asked attorneys to look into if he can appoint one himself.
Dec. 16: A former Houston police captain was charged with assault, after being hired to investigate a conspiracy theory, and pointing a gun at an air-conditioner repairman who he thought had fraudulent ballots in his truck.
Dec. 16: Trump held a Cabinet meeting, his first since May. The meeting was closed to the press. Trump has continued to largely cease work related to the presidency.
Trump vented about the election and made baseless claims about fraud. He expressed frustration at cabinet members for not doing more, but did not give specific orders. Trump said acting DHS chief Chad Wolf should have fired Krebs sooner.
Dec. 16: DNI Ratcliffe said his office would miss the deadline for a report to Congress on foreign election interference, citing a dispute within the intelligence community on whether China should be mentioned more prominently.
Dec. 16: Thomas Bossert wrote, “I Was the Homeland Security Adviser to Trump. We’re Being Hacked,” saying, “The magnitude of this ongoing attack is hard to overstate,” and may also include 425 of the Fortune 500 companies.
Bossert added, “Trump is on the verge of leaving behind” a federal government and industries that was “compromised by the Russian government,” and Trump must “severely punish the Russians.”
Dec. 16: Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin called Russia’s hack of federal agencies “virtually a declaration of war by Russia on the United States,” and said the Trump regime was “completely compromised.”
Dec. 16: Politico reported that in a July 4 email to his then boss, HHS assistant secretary Michael Caputo, and six other senior officials, Paul Alexander wrote, “We want them infected,” and pushed herd immunity.
Alexander wrote, “Infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, middle aged with no conditions etc. have zero to little risk….so we use them to develop herd.” He also spent months attacking government scientists.
Dec. 16: CNN reported that Trump has been so inundated with requests from hundreds of allies, including business associates and high-profile criminals for pardons, that staffers put together a spreadsheet.
Despite Trump’s unwillingness to acknowledge he lost the election, he has reveled in the requests. In moments of deep denial, Trump has told aides he may refuse to leave, and one said he is having temper tantrums.
Dec. 16: Trump continued to elevate close friends and allies on boards and commissions, naming Andrew Giuliani and two others on the Holocaust Memorial Council, despite Rudy Giuliani’s past anti-Semitic statements.
Dec. 16: The U.S. saw its deadliest day, with 3,607 deaths — 500 higher than the previous record — and 244,000 cases, as outbreaks escalated in the Northeast, South, and West Coast, while the Midwest improved.
Dec. 17: Politico reported the Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which houses the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, were also breached in the Russian hacking.
Dec. 17: Politico reported DHS’s CISA said it determined that Russia hacked government agencies, private companies, and critical infrastructure, using a variety of unidentified tactics beyond SolarWinds.
Dec. 17: CNN reported Trump remained silent about the massive Russian hack. At his cabinet meeting, members of agencies that had been hacked — including the Pentagon, DOJ and State Department — did not attend.
Not until the evening of Dec. 16 did the U.S. government formally acknowledge the cyber intrusion was still active. Trump has not had a formal daily intelligence briefing on his schedule since early October.
Dec. 17: Biden and his staff were briefed. In a statement, Biden said, “Our adversaries should know that, as President, I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation.”
Dec. 17: Other Senators questioned Trump’s response to the hacking, with Sen. Mitt Romney calling his silence “really, really quite extraordinary,” and Sen. Angus King saying, “No response is not appropriate.”
Dec. 17: Flynn told Newsmax Trump should seize voting machines, and said, “He could order, within the swing states if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and basically rerun an election each in those states.”
Dec. 17: AJC reported Kemp was outraged that pro-Trump conspiracy theorists who were calling on him to overturn the state’s results were also targeting his wife and three daughters, including with death threats.
Dec. 17: In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, former DHS intelligence chief Brian Murphy said he was pressured to “blame Far Left groups in an exaggerated fashion” for violence in Portland, Oregon.
Murphy also said in a whistleblower complaint acting DHS chief Wolf urged him to hold back information on Russian interference in the election because it “made the President look bad.”
Dec. 17: Amid reports of delays in states receiving vaccines, Pfizer said it had “millions more doses sitting in our warehouse” but that the Trump regime had stopped giving directions on where to send the vaccines.
Dec. 17: GOP Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville said he might join House members in their electoral challenge, saying while stumping in Georgia, “You’ll see what’s coming…We’re going to have to do it in the Senate.”
Dec. 18: Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said elected officials who do not accept a peaceful transition of power and seek to overturn the election are “bordering on sedition and treason” and should be “sanctioned.”
Dec. 18: Axios reported acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller ordered a Pentagon-wide halt of transition briefings to the Biden administration. A Biden official was unaware of the directive or what prompted the action.
In response to the reporting, a senior Pentagon official tried to downplay the directive, saying it was “a simple delay of the last few scheduled meetings until after the new year.” This is not normal of a transition.
Dec. 18: NYT reported that Trump, who was deflated by the loss he had yet to acknowledge, has cushioned by blow by raising more than $250 million from his supporters under the dubious pretense of election fraud.
Also, Lara Trump and John Pence, Pence’s nephew, were named on drafts of the incorporation papers of a limited liability company through which the Trump political operation spent more than $700 million since 2019.
The LLC, American Made Media Consultants, has been criticized for purposefully hiding how hundreds of millions of dollars were spent. Lara and John were originally listed as president and vice president of the LLC.
Business Insider reported Kushner helped set up the LLC, and that he, not Trump’s campaign managers, gave approval for LLC spending.
The Times also reported while raising money off of the Georgia race, Trump had tentatively planned to go this weekend to support the Senate candidates, but canceled due to his ire towards Kemp and Raffensperger.
Dec. 18: Fox Business host Lou Dobbs aired a segment fact-checking and debunking his own election claims about Smartmatic voting machines, after the company threatened legal action in a letter.
Dec. 18: Pompeo said in an interview that Russia was behind the hack, saying, “This was a very significant effort, and I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians.”
Dec. 19: At 1:42 a.m., Trump quoted a report by Peter Navarro on alleged election fraud, tweeting, “Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”
In the morning, Trump lied tweeting, Biden “didn’t win the Election. He lost all 6 Swing States, by a lot,” adding, “Republican politicians have to fight so that their great victory is not stolen. Don’t be weak fools!”
Dec. 19: Trump made his first public comments on the hack, tweeting it was “far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality,” and claiming he had “been fully briefed and everything is well under control.”
Trump added, “Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens,” lying that “it may be China,” and “There could also have been a hit on our ridiculous voting machines,” which he lied, “I won big.”
Dec. 19 : AP reported White House officials prepared a statement to put out in the afternoon of Dec. 18 that accused Russia of being “the main actor” in the hack, but were told last minute to stand down.
Democratic leaders of four House committees briefed on Dec. 18 said they “were left with more questions than answers,” and regime officials were “unwilling to share the full scope of the breach” or the victims’ identities.
Dec. 19: WAPO reported even as Trump continued to try to overturn the election, his inner-circle including Pence, Meadows, top economic adviser Larry Kudlow, and other advisers were planning life after the regime.
There was no serious planning for a second term, as aides were frantically looking for new jobs. Members of Congress were flooding Trump with hundreds of pardon requests, and he held another meeting to review them.
Dec. 19: NYT reported Trump discussed naming Sidney Powell as special counsel overseeing an investigation on voter fraud in a meeting Friday with Powell and Flynn. Giuliani, who listened by phone, was against the idea.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Meadows aggressively pushed back on the idea, with Cipollone citing there was no constitutional authority. Trump then said special counsel within the White House.
Trump also discussed an executive order to take control of voting machines to examine them. Giuliani pushed for the DHS to do so, but acting head Kenneth Cuccinelli said his agency did not have authority.
Trump also asked about Flynn’s idea this week on Newsmax for him to impose martial law, and deploy the military to “re-run” the election. Meadows and Cipollone pushed back on this notion too.
Axios reported senior officials in the Trump regime are increasingly alarmed that Trump is spending too much time with people they consider crackpots and conspiracy theorists in an effort to overturn the election.
Dec. 19: WSJ reported amid the second vaccine being approved and rolled out, Trump remained consumed solely with overturning the election, paying close attention to television coverage, and urging allies to fight on.
While Trump acknowledged the first vaccine in a video he tweeted, he did not attend a ceremony where Pence received a shot on live television to promote its safety. Trump had thus far refused to get the vaccine.
Trump advisers said he was being apprised on stimulus talks, but he made no public appearances and communicated only via tweets. Some allies were concerned Trump was tarnishing his legacy and hurting the GOP.
Dec. 19: Twitter added a new label to some of Trump’s false claims about the election: “Election officials have certified Joe Biden as winner of the U.S. Presidential election.”
Dec. 20: Trump denied reports of discussing martial law, tweeting, “Martial law = Fake News. Just more knowingly bad reporting!”
Dec. 20: Trump said in a radio interview that he had spoken to Tuberville about challenging the electoral vote count, saying, “He’s so excited,” adding, “He’s great. Great senator.”
Dec. 20: Giuliani announced the Trump campaign filed a challenge to Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania with the Supreme Court to ask the justices to reverse the outcome of the race.
Dec. 20: In an op-ed, Erica Newland, who worked at the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel from 2016–18, wrote, “I’m Haunted by What I Did as a Lawyer,” and “No matter our intentions, lawyers like me were complicit.”
She noted, “Trump readily volunteered that his agenda was to disassemble our democracy,” saying DOJ lawyers helped make executive orders like the Muslim Ban narrower and less destructive, but also palatable to the courts.
She said if lawyers had refused to participate in Trump’s “systematic attacks on our democracy from the beginning” they would have failed, citing the second-rate lawyers now failing to overturn the election.
Dec. 20: NYT reported in addition to Smartmatic, Dominion Voting Systems has also hired a high-powered libel lawyer who has threatened legal action against Powell and the Trump campaign.
Potential litigation against Newsmax and OAN, both of which had been vying to be the new “Trump TV,” will make them unattractive to new buyers. Trump meanwhile benefits from presidential immunity.
Fox News and Fox Business, which mentioned Dominion 792 times and Smartmatic 118 times, aired a three-minute segment on shows hosted by Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo debunking claims.
Dec. 20: A Fox News polls found 42% of voters said Trump would be remembered as one of the worst presidents in history. No other president has even hit 20% for the lowest rating.
Dec. 21: WAPO reported with multiple crises impacting the country, Trump is taking extraordinary and unprecedented steps to undermine Biden’s transition, including delegitimizing him and floating a 2024 run.
Trump also told advisers not to share information with Biden’s team that could be used against him. Trump will be the first to refuse to attend an inauguration since John Adams skipped Thomas Jefferson’s in 1801.
Dec. 21: At a news conference with two days left in office, Barr told reporters there was no basis for seizing voting machines, nor to hire special counsels to investigate election fraud or Hunter Biden.
Barr also broke with Trump, blaming Russia for the hacking: “From the information I have, I agree with Secretary Pompeo’s assessment. It certainly appears to be the Russians.”
Dec. 21: Trump ally Rep. Mo Brooks spearheaded three meetings at the White House with Trump, Pence, and roughly a dozen House lawmakers to come up with a strategy to overturn the election on January 6.
Dec. 21: NYT reported Powell was at the White House for the third time in last four days. Giuliani tried to distance Trump from Powell, telling Newsmax “it’s her own opinions” and not that of “our legal team.”
Dec. 21: Members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer, and other far-right groups, many armed with pistols and rifles, tried to storm the state Capitol in Salem, Oregon over Covid-19 restrictions. At least two were arrested.
Dec. 21: Politico reported as Congress negotiated relief, Pelosi told her leadership team of Trump, “I’m counting down the hours ’til he’s gone. I plan to pull him out of there by his hair, his little hands and his feet.”
Dec. 22: Axios reported Trump has turned on loyalists Pence, Cipollone, McConnell, Meadows, and Barr for refusing to embrace his conspiracy theories and fight for him in his bid to overturn the election.
Dec. 22: CNN reported anxiety is rising at the Pentagon, as officers waited for Trump’s next unpredictable move. Some senior military officers are purposefully trying to steer clear of the White House for the next month.
Dec. 22: NBC News reported QAnon conspiracy theorists, of which Flynn is one, are becoming increasingly militant and pushing Trump to “#crosstherubicon” and use the military to seize power.
Politico reported Trump was increasingly leaning on QAnon figures, including Flynn, Powell, and Rep. elect-Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was one of the House members at Brooks’ meeting on Jan 6. strategy.
Dec. 22: Trump continued his election lies, tweeting, “THE DEMOCRATS DUMPED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BALLOTS IN THE SWING STATES LATE IN THE EVENING. IT WAS A RIGGED ELECTION!!!”
Dec. 22: Trump appointed another slate of loyalists to various government boards, handing plum positions to Hope Hicks, Ric Grenell, Pam Bondi, and Ezra Cohen-Watnick.
Dec. 22: Former GOP House speaker and Trump ally Newt Gingrich wrote an op-ed, “Why I will not accept Joe Biden as president,” citing his “level of outrage and alienation unlike anything I had experienced.”
Dec. 22: Judges of the Federal District Court in Manhattan exercised a rarely used power, extending Audrey Strauss’ tenure as the U.S. attorney for the SDNY, which would have expired before Trump left office.
Dec. 22: Eric Coomer, security director of Dominion Voting Systems, sued the Trump campaign, Giuliani, Powell, Newsmax, OAN, and others conservative media figures for defamation, after receiving death threats.
Dec. 22: NYT reported Trump and Kushner’s longtime private banker, Rosemary Vrablic, as well as a colleague, Dominic Scalzi, resigned from Deutsche Bank. The reason was unclear.
Dec. 22: Biden said in a speech of the Russian hack, “The truth is, the Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity,” adding, “This assault happened on Donald Trump’s watch, while he wasn’t watching.”
Biden added, “When I learn the extent of the damage and in fact who is formally responsible, they can be assured that we will respond. And probably respond in kind,” and “His failure will land at my doorstep.”
Dec. 22: Trump pardoned George Papadopoulos and Alex van der Zwaan, who both pleaded guilty to lying in the Mueller probe, and four guards from Blackwater, Erik Prince’s company, who killed 17 Iraqi civilians.
Trump also pardoned three former members of Congress: Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter, his two earliest supporters, and Steve Stockman on the recommendation of Powell, as well as two former Border Patrol agents.
Shortly after, in a tweeted video, Trump called the coronavirus relief bill, passed by Congress with the input from his regime, a “disgrace,” and said he wanted a $2,000 payment, something sought by Democrats.
Trump inaccurately conflated two bills, blasting money in the bill to fund government for foreign aid, environmental programs, and cultural institutions as “wasteful,” despite amounts being close to his requests.
Trump did not specify whether he would veto the bills, but said, “the next administration will have to deliver a Covid relief package,” adding, “And maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done.”
Politico reported Trump blindsided all of Washington, including his staffers, with the requests in his video. Overnight, senior Republicans, Hill aides, and White House officials scrambled to figure out what he wanted.
Dec. 22: Trump attacked McConnell and Sen. John Thune who cautioned GOP senators not to try to overturn the election, tweeting, “they would be down 8 seats without my backing,” and calling for Thune to be primaried.
Dec. 23: Politico reported on Dec. 22, White House staffers received a detailed email from the White House Management Office with directions on the departing process, starting the week of January 4.
On the morning of Dec. 23, staffers were instructed to “please disregard” an earlier memo. Meadows was in Georgia when the first memo was sent observing local officials’ audit at Trump’s behest.
Dec. 23: CNN reported Trump invited the entire Pennsylvania GOP to the White House for lunch. Local reporting indicated that all but four did not plan to attend, and one said the purpose of the lunch was not disclosed.
Dec. 23: NYT reported in his final four weeks, Trump is the most unleashed and unpredictable in his time in office, sequestering himself in the White House and hosting conspiracy theorists.
Trump is almost entirely disengaged from leading the country, focusing solely on overturning the election. His erratic behavior is concerning aides, including Barr who told associates he is alarmed by Trump’s behavior.
Advisers described a daily struggle to keep Trump from acting on his impulses and what he wants to hear. A former adviser noted concern over the gradual disappearance of aides who would act in unison to stop him.
Dec. 23: CNN reported lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems sent letters to Cipollone and Giuliani, demanding Giuliani stop making “defamatory claims against Dominion,” and instructing them to preserve all records.
Dec. 23: Trump vetoed the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which had broad bipartisan support before heading to Mar-a-Lago. Graham tweeted Congress should repeal Section 230 as Trump requested.
In his first extended trip since the election, Trump did not take questions from reporters. He had yet to communicate with his own party ahead of a deadline that would be the fourth government shutdown during his term.
Dec. 23: In his second batch, Trump granted another 26 pardons, including Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, who both refused to cooperate in the Mueller probe, as well as Charles Kushner, Jared’s father.
Dec. 24: After vetoing the NDAA and demanding a $2,000 relief payment, Trump golfed his 294th round at his course in West Palm Beach. House Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to advance $2,000 relief.
Dec. 24: WAPO said it was inundated with messages and phone calls from people on the verge of losing homes, cars, and going hungry — stunned Trump and Congress could not agree on relief. Several broke down crying.
Dec. 24: A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll found 50% of Americans believe history will judge Trump as a failed president, 16% said fair, 13% said good, and 16% predicted he would be remembered as great.
On the election, 62% believe Biden was legitimately elected president, 37% do not. Of Republicans, 78% said Biden was not legitimate, 20% said he was, while 65% of Independents and 96% of Democrats said he was.
Dec. 24: Trump tweeted on Christmas Eve, attacking Twitter, saying the platform “is going wild with their flags, trying hard to suppress even the truth,” adding, “Does Congress know that this is how Communism starts?”
Trump also attacked McConnell for not helping him overturn the election, tweeting, “I saved at least 8 Republican Senators, including Mitch, from losing in the last Rigged (for President) Election…I will NEVER FORGET!”
Dec. 25: Trump golfed again, as the White House said he would “continue to work tirelessly for the American People.” The relief and omnibus bills were flown to Florida on Dec. 24 for Trump to veto or sign.
Expanded unemployment benefits for millions were set to expire Dec. 26 if Trump did not sign. Even if Trump did sign on Saturday, states would still need to reprogram their computer systems to account for the new law.
Dec. 26: Biden called on Trump to sign the Covid-19 relief bill, calling it an “abdication of responsibility” with “devastating consequences,” adding, “today, about 10 million Americans will lose unemployment.”
Dec. 26: With a midnight deadline for signing to continue unemployment, Trump sent a series of rage tweets, lying the election was stolen from him, and lashing out at GOP Senators, the Supreme Court, FBI, and DOJ.
Trump called the Supreme Court “totally incompetent and weak on the massive Election Fraud,” and said, “Mitch & the Republicans do NOTHING…NO FIGHT” about the “Rigged & Stolen” election.
Trump added, “The “Justice” Department and the FBI have done nothing,” threatening, “Never give up. See everyone in D.C. on January 6th,” and also venting about the Durham report and said, “They spied on my campaign.”
Trump lied, “A young military man working in Afghanistan told me that elections in Afghanistan are far more secure and much better run than the USA’s 2020 Election,” and called Biden a “Fake President!”
Dec. 27: NYT reported Trump’s promotion of “voter fraud” was the most aggressive in U.S. history, including offering financial incentives. Yet, he lost all but one of the 60 cases in seven states, and showed no voter fraud.
The cases debunked GOP myths of cheating including undocumented immigrant voting, double voting, or dead people voting. Nonetheless, Republicans looked to use false claims to impose new barriers on voting.
Dec. 27: Trump golfed at his club, and later in the day signed the bills. WAPO reported Trump did not discuss the bills while at Mar-a-Lago, but continued to focus on his unsuccessful efforts to overturn the election.
Shortly before signing the bill, Trump again previewed his effort to overturn the election, tweeting, “See you in Washington, DC, on January 6th. Don’t miss it. Information to follow!”
Dec. 27: The Editorial Board of the Rupert Murdoch owned New York Post called on Trump to “stop the insanity” of trying to overturn the election on Jan. 6, “for your sake and the nation’s.”
Dec. 27: December was the deadliest month since the start of the pandemic, with more than 63,000 dead in 26 days. Trump promised 20 million vaccines by year-end, but fewer than 2 million were administered.
Dec. 28: WAPO reported the Proud Boys had settled at D.C.’s oldest hotel, Hotel Harrington, and its bar ahead of Jan. 6, unnerving guests and workers of color. After the reporting, the hotel said it would close Jan. 4–6.
Dec. 28: Trump ally Rep. Louie Gohmert and a handful of other Republicans sued Pence, asserting the 1887 law known as the Electoral Count Act is unconstitutional because it does not give Pence authority.
Filed in federal court in Texas before a Trump appointee, the suit asked that Pence be granted the authority to overturn election results. Pence had not weighed in publicly on Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
A court filing on Dec. 29 disclosed that the plaintiffs had reached out to Pence before filing their suit to ask him to join, but that he refused to sign on to their plan to overturn the election.
Dec. 28: Republican-leaning pollster Rasmussen invoked a quote attributed to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, tweeting, “Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.”
Dec. 28: Biden said in a speech that Trump political appointees in the OMB and the Department of Defense were blocking national security transition work, saying Trump was putting U.S. national security at risk.
Dec. 28: Trump tweeted what appeared to be a campaign video, saying he “stands for America,” citing what he viewed as his accomplishments, and falsely claiming that he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dec. 28: The mayor of Nashville, where a suicide bomber caused injury and significant property damage on Christmas morning, said he still had not heard from Trump. Trump had not commented on the blast in public.
Dec. 28: The House voted 322-87 to override Trump’s veto of the NDAA, the first time either chamber of Congress overrode a Trump veto. The House also voted 275-134 to raise stimulus checks to $2,000.
Dec. 29: Trump called the veto “a disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission,” adding, “Say goodbye to….your National Monuments, Forts (names!) and Treasures (inserted by Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren).”
Dec. 29: As Trump golfed for the fourth day in five, Biden addressed the nation on the pandemic, after Dr. Anthony Fauci described a surge in cases “that has just gotten out of control.”
Dec. 29: McConnell blocked consideration of a $2,000 payment, linking it to Section 230 and an election investigation. Trump tweeted, “unless Republicans have a death wish,” they should pass “$2000 payments ASAP.”
Dec. 29: The U.S. sold the ambassador’s residence in Israel to Trump donor Sheldon Adelson for $67 million in July. Lawmakers were examining whether the sale of the residence complied with regulations.
Dec. 29: WAPO reported the Manhattan DA’s office hired forensic accounting experts FTI Consulting to aid in its investigation of Trump and his business operations.
Dec. 29: Trump asked the Supreme Court to reverse Wisconsin’s high court, allowing the GOP-led legislature to decide how to cast the state’s electoral votes, and asked for the case to be fast-tracked before Jan. 6.
Dec. 29: Georgia secretary of state’s office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation said their signature audit of Cobb County’s 15,118 ballots found no fraud, and only two signatures that did not match.
Shortly after, Trump called on Kemp to resign as governor, tweeting he “should resign from office,” adding, “He is an obstructionist who refuses to admit that we won Georgia, BIG!”
Trump also tweeted of Raffensperger, “Now it turns out that Brad R’s brother works for China, and they definitely don’t want ‘Trump’. So disgusting!” Raffensperger does not have a brother.
Dec. 30: Sen. Josh Hawley said he would be the first GOP Senator to object during the Jan. 6 count, falsely claiming, “some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws.”
Hawley also cited “the unprecedented effort” of corporations including Facebook and Twitter “to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden,” saying, “Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud.”
Dec. 30: In a letter, 27 Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers urged McConnell to “dispute the certification” of election results until an investigation of alleged voter fraud is completed.
Dec. 30: The U.S. recorded a record of more than 3,900 daily deaths in the deadliest week so far, as hospitalizations reached a record 125,000. At least 341,000 Americans had died.
Dec. 30: CNN reported Trump would return to Washington on the morning of Dec. 31, even as guests had already gathered at Mar-a-Lago for a New Year’s party that Trump was supposed to attend.
While at Mar-a-Lago, Trump surrounded himself with loyalists who back his effort to overturn the election, including Giuliani, Donald Jr., and Kimberly Guilfoyle. Trump polled people on whether he should attend Biden’s inauguration.
Trump repeatedly brought up Pence, who was vacationing in Vail, saying Pence is not doing enough to fight for him, and that he is “confused” as to why Pence cannot overturn the results of the election on Jan. 6.
Dec. 31: Sen. Ben Sasse attacked GOP Senators who planned to object to the Electoral College, saying, “they’re wrong” and calling them “a bunch of ambitious politicians,” and “institutional arsonist members of Congress.”
Dec. 31: WAPO reported as Trump stoked claims of election fraud and urged supporters to come to D.C. on Jan. 6, four competing rallies around D.C. of Trump demonstrators will urge Congress to overturn the election.
Dec. 31: The Census Bureau said it would miss the year-end deadline to complete the count — a first since the deadline was implemented, undermining Trump’s plan to exclude people in the country illegally.
Dec. 31: Microsoft said Russian hackers penetrated deeper into the company’s systems than previously known, gaining access to potentially valuable source code. Trump had yet to call out Russia in any way.
Dec. 31: Fauci called the vaccine rollout “disappointing,” as the Trump regime fell short of its goal of administering 20 million shots by year-end, distributing 12.4 million and administering 2.8 million. Trump blamed states.
Dec. 31: Trump continued to avoid the press heading back to D.C. Once there, he tweeted a four-minute video touting false accomplishments, including his handling of the pandemic, but did not mention the election.
Dec. 31: Pence asked a judge, through a DOJ lawyer on his behalf, to reject Gohmert’s lawsuit that would expand his power to overturn the election, arguing, “The Vice President is not the proper defendant to this lawsuit.”
Dec. 31: CNN reported that two House Republicans said they expect at least 140 of their colleagues, including eight Pennsylvania lawmakers, to vote against counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6.
Dec. 31: Axios reported in a call with Senate Republicans, McConnell said his Jan. 6 vote to certify Biden’s victory will be “the most consequential I have ever cast” in 36 years, and that the vote is “a vote of conscience.”
Hawley was asked by McConnell and Indiana Sen. Todd Young to explain what he planned to do on Jan. 6. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey defended the integrity of his state’s elections. Hawley was not on the call.
Dec. 31: The U.S. surpassed 20 million coronavirus cases. It took 293 days for the U.S. to reach 10 million cases, and just 53 to reach 20 million. The U.S. had nearly 1 in 4 of worldwide cases, and 1 in 5 deaths.

AFTER (December)

Written by Amy Siskind

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