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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the briefing room at the White House on November 5, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
While Democratic nominee Joe Biden remained on the verge of being declared winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential contest on Friday, Reuters reports that the Republican National Committee is seeking to raise $60 million to fund President Donald Trump's legal battles over election results--although the fine print of the message to donors indicates that up to half of each contribution could go toward retiring Trump's pre-existing campaign debt.
As Common Dreams reported earlier on Friday, the Trump campaign--in addition to the president's outrageous and baseless claims of fraud--is making desperate, last-ditch attempts to contest vote-counting procedures in multiple battleground states where the incumbent's early leads have disappeared.
"This election is not over," claimed Matt Morgan, Trump's top legal adviser, on Friday. "I will never give up fighting for you and our nation," the president said in a statement released by the White House.
Legal experts, however, say that Trump's election litigation efforts "have no merit whatsoever."
Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law argued that the president's lawsuits "look more like public relation stunts meant to create a false impression that the election is filled with improprieties and fraud."
"I don't see any real strategy here," she added.
Despite the fact that nearly all of Trump's legal battles in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania are being dismissed in court due to a lack of compelling evidence, the RNC is still trying to fundraise for the president.
"They want $60 million," a Republican donor who was contacted by the Trump campaign and the RNC told Reuters.
Critics, however, smelled a grift.
Political observers pointed to the "fine print" of the Trump and RNC donation forms with a warning that such gifts could readily be used to pay off pre-existing campaign debt:
\u201cThe fine-print on the flurry of fundraising emails being sent out by the Trump campaign/RNC and associated committees:\u201d— Zeke Miller (@Zeke Miller) 1604582436
"If you give money to Trump's recount/postelection litigation efforts," tweeted Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, "half of that money will go towards retiring his campaign debt instead, per the fine print."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
While Democratic nominee Joe Biden remained on the verge of being declared winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential contest on Friday, Reuters reports that the Republican National Committee is seeking to raise $60 million to fund President Donald Trump's legal battles over election results--although the fine print of the message to donors indicates that up to half of each contribution could go toward retiring Trump's pre-existing campaign debt.
As Common Dreams reported earlier on Friday, the Trump campaign--in addition to the president's outrageous and baseless claims of fraud--is making desperate, last-ditch attempts to contest vote-counting procedures in multiple battleground states where the incumbent's early leads have disappeared.
"This election is not over," claimed Matt Morgan, Trump's top legal adviser, on Friday. "I will never give up fighting for you and our nation," the president said in a statement released by the White House.
Legal experts, however, say that Trump's election litigation efforts "have no merit whatsoever."
Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law argued that the president's lawsuits "look more like public relation stunts meant to create a false impression that the election is filled with improprieties and fraud."
"I don't see any real strategy here," she added.
Despite the fact that nearly all of Trump's legal battles in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania are being dismissed in court due to a lack of compelling evidence, the RNC is still trying to fundraise for the president.
"They want $60 million," a Republican donor who was contacted by the Trump campaign and the RNC told Reuters.
Critics, however, smelled a grift.
Political observers pointed to the "fine print" of the Trump and RNC donation forms with a warning that such gifts could readily be used to pay off pre-existing campaign debt:
\u201cThe fine-print on the flurry of fundraising emails being sent out by the Trump campaign/RNC and associated committees:\u201d— Zeke Miller (@Zeke Miller) 1604582436
"If you give money to Trump's recount/postelection litigation efforts," tweeted Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, "half of that money will go towards retiring his campaign debt instead, per the fine print."
While Democratic nominee Joe Biden remained on the verge of being declared winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential contest on Friday, Reuters reports that the Republican National Committee is seeking to raise $60 million to fund President Donald Trump's legal battles over election results--although the fine print of the message to donors indicates that up to half of each contribution could go toward retiring Trump's pre-existing campaign debt.
As Common Dreams reported earlier on Friday, the Trump campaign--in addition to the president's outrageous and baseless claims of fraud--is making desperate, last-ditch attempts to contest vote-counting procedures in multiple battleground states where the incumbent's early leads have disappeared.
"This election is not over," claimed Matt Morgan, Trump's top legal adviser, on Friday. "I will never give up fighting for you and our nation," the president said in a statement released by the White House.
Legal experts, however, say that Trump's election litigation efforts "have no merit whatsoever."
Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law argued that the president's lawsuits "look more like public relation stunts meant to create a false impression that the election is filled with improprieties and fraud."
"I don't see any real strategy here," she added.
Despite the fact that nearly all of Trump's legal battles in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania are being dismissed in court due to a lack of compelling evidence, the RNC is still trying to fundraise for the president.
"They want $60 million," a Republican donor who was contacted by the Trump campaign and the RNC told Reuters.
Critics, however, smelled a grift.
Political observers pointed to the "fine print" of the Trump and RNC donation forms with a warning that such gifts could readily be used to pay off pre-existing campaign debt:
\u201cThe fine-print on the flurry of fundraising emails being sent out by the Trump campaign/RNC and associated committees:\u201d— Zeke Miller (@Zeke Miller) 1604582436
"If you give money to Trump's recount/postelection litigation efforts," tweeted Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, "half of that money will go towards retiring his campaign debt instead, per the fine print."