What texts disclose about how Sen. Mike Lee, every other Trump best friend lobbied to overturn election

Estimated learn time: 7-8 mins

WASHINGTON — Within the weeks between the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 assault at the U.S. Capitol, nearly 100 textual content messages from two staunch GOP allies of then-President Donald Trump disclose an competitive try to foyer, inspire and ultimately warn the White Space over its efforts to overturn the election, in step with messages acquired by way of the Space make a choice committee and reviewed by way of CNN.

The texts, that have no longer been in the past reported, had been despatched by way of Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas to then-White Space leader of personnel Mark Meadows. The textual content exchanges display that each individuals of Congress to begin with supported criminal demanding situations to the election however in the long run got here to bitter at the effort and the techniques deployed by way of Trump and his workforce.

“We are riding a stake within the middle of the federal republic,” Roy texted Meadows on Jan. 1. That textual content was once first launched in December by way of the Space make a choice committee and described as being written by way of a Space Freedom Caucus member. Roy’s authorship has no longer been in the past reported.

When located within the total timeline of occasions between the election and Jan. 6, the collection of texts from Lee and Roy supply new information about how two Trump allies went from fierce advocates of the previous president’s push to overturn Joe Biden’s win to disheartened bystanders. By way of Jan. 3, Lee was once texting Meadows that the hassle “may all backfire badly.”

However in a while after the election, each males had been encouraging Trump to stay combating.

In a sequence of texts to Meadows on Nov. 7, Lee presented his “unequivocal fortify so that you can exhaust each criminal and constitutional treatment at your disposal to revive American citizens religion in our elections.”

Lee went on: “This combat is concerning the basic equity and integrity of our election machine. The country is relying upon your persisted unravel. Keep sturdy and stay combating Mr. President.”

Additionally on Nov. 7, Roy wrote to Meadows, “We want ammo. We want fraud examples. We want it this weekend.”

In a remark to CNN, Lee’s communications director, Lee Lonsberry, mentioned, “I would like to spotlight that Sen. Lee has been totally clear,” pointing to how Lee had referred to as for an investigation into claims of fraud within the 2020 election however in the long run known Biden as president-elect and voted to certify the electoral effects on Jan. 6.

Roy Communications Director Nate Madden informed CNN the textual content messages “talk for themselves.”

An lawyer for Meadows didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark.

A spokesperson for the make a choice committee declined to remark.

A supply conversant in the committee’s paintings tells CNN that Lee’s texts “replicate he was once a cheerleader earlier than he was once in opposition to it. He makes use of criminal language to push blatant conspiracy theorists into the Trump orbit.”

‘Are you able to assist her get in?’

Over a couple of days in November, Lee lobbied Meadows to get lawyer Sidney Powell get right of entry to to Trump.

“Sydney Powell is pronouncing that she must get in to peer the president, however she’s being refrained from him,” Lee wrote to Meadows on Nov. 7. “It sounds as if she has a technique to stay issues alive and put a number of states again in play. Are you able to assist get her in?”

Lee then despatched Meadows Powell’s cellular quantity and her e-mail.

On Nov. 9, Lee once more pressed Meadows about Powell, calling her a “immediately shooter.”

That very same day, Roy warned Meadows about Trump’s means, texting him, “We will have to urge the President to tone down the rhetoric, and means the criminal problem firmly, intelligently and successfully with out resorting to throwing wild determined haymakers or whipping his base right into a conspiracy frenzy.”

Then got here the now-infamous information convention on Nov. 19, the place individuals of Trump’s criminal workforce — together with Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis — laid out a sequence of false claims and conspiracy theories about alleged voter fraud.

The messages began to tackle a extra important tone.

“Hi there brother — we’d like substance or persons are going to wreck,” Roy texted on Nov. 19, a couple of hours after the scoop convention wrapped. Two hours later, Lee texted Meadows with critical considerations, pronouncing he was once “nervous concerning the Powell press convention.”

Lee informed Meadows, “The possible defamation legal responsibility for the president is vital right here.

“For the marketing campaign and for the president individually.

“Except Powell can again up the whole thing she mentioned, which I roughly doubt she will.”

Meadows spoke back, “I agree. Very involved.”

The inside track convention got here as Trump’s criminal losses piled up in his effort to problem the leads to key swing states.

From Powell to Eastman

By way of overdue November, Lee had shifted clear of Powell and began selling right-wing legal professional John Eastman, who a federal pass judgement on in California mentioned closing month could have been making plans a criminal offense with Trump as they sought to disrupt the Jan. 6 congressional certification of the presidential election, calling it “a coup searching for a criminal principle.”

Privately Roy was once additionally texting Meadows with fortify for Eastman, and criticizing Giuliani.

“Have you ever talked to John Eastman?” Roy texted on Nov. 22. “Get Eastman to report in entrance of pa board of elections…

“Get information in entrance of public area.

“Frigging rudy must hush.”

By way of December, each Republican lawmakers categorical grave considerations to Meadows concerning the plan to problem the certification of the election on Jan. 6.

On Dec. 16, Lee requested Meadows for steerage: “If you wish to have senators to object, we want to listen from you on that preferably getting some steerage on what arguments to lift.

“I feel we are now handed the purpose the place we will be able to be expecting any individual will do it with out some route and a powerful evidentiary argument.”

On Dec. 31 Roy expressed much more fear in a textual content to Meadows.

“The president will have to name everybody off. It is the handiest trail. If we exchange the desire of states thru electors with a vote by way of congress each 4 years… we have now destroyed the electoral school… Respectfully,” Roy wrote.

By way of this time, Trump and his allies had been operating in the back of the scenes to enlist parts of the government within the effort to overturn the election. That incorporated urging Justice Division officers, together with then-Legal professional Common William Barr, to analyze fraud even after the company had declared there was once none. Trump was once additionally hanging heavy force on then-Vice President Mike Pence to not certify the election on Jan. 6.

In a Jan. 3 textual content to Meadows, Lee argued that Trump’s effort to have states ship trade slates of electors to Congress was once no longer reliable.

“I handiest know that this may increasingly finish badly for the President until we have now the Charter on our aspect,” Lee texted in a observe to Meadows. “And until those states post new slates of Trump electors pursuant to state regulation, we don’t,” Lee wrote to Meadows.

As CNN has in the past reported, the plan to switch original electors with faux ones in a handful of swing states was once orchestrated by way of allies of the previous president and overseen by way of his then-attorney Giuliani.

None of the ones trade slates of pro-Trump electors won sign-off from state officers or had been put earlier than Congress.

Whilst Lee and Roy each voted to certify the electoral leads to prefer of Biden, greater than 100 in their GOP colleagues in each the Space and Senate didn’t. Leader amongst them had been Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, either one of whom Lee referred to as out in his texts to Meadows.

“I’ve grave considerations with the best way my good friend Ted goes about this effort,” Lee wrote to Meadows. “This won’t inure to the advantage of the president.”

Lee added that until new, competing slates of electors had been put ahead in keeping with state regulation, the web impact “may assist folks like Ted and Josh to the detriment of DJT.”

When Jan. 6 in spite of everything got here, neither Lee nor Roy joined their colleagues in objecting to the 2020 presidential election effects.

After the violence spread out and Congress returned to consultation, Roy mentioned at the Space flooring, “The president will have to by no means have spun up positive American citizens to consider one thing that merely can’t be.”

He additionally texted Meadows, “It is a (expletive) display.

“Repair this now.”

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