EXPLOSIVE: Trump's secret executive order LEAKED
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Summary
Takeaways
- ❖A draft executive order from former President Trump's orbit outlines a plan to assert presidential control over federal elections, including voter registration, ID, and ballot procedures.
- ❖Legal analysis indicates the order is unconstitutional, as the President has no authority over federal elections and misuses emergency powers.
- ❖The proposed measures are framed as voter suppression tactics, given the documented lack of widespread voter fraud, which the order purports to address.
Insights
1Leaked Draft Executive Order for Election Control
Reporters at Democracy Docket obtained a draft executive order, dated April 12th, 2025, from Peter Tictton, a lawyer connected to former President Trump. This order is described as 'sweeping' and aims to redefine how voting occurs in the U.S., covering voter registration, proof of citizenship, voter ID, ballot design, ballot counting, and absentee ballot procedures. It invokes emergency powers under various acts, which the hosts argue are unrelated to elections.
The draft order, provided by Peter Tictton, is dated April 12th, 2025, and covers aspects like voter registration, proof of citizenship, voter ID, ballot design, ballot counting, and absentee ballots. It cites the Defense Production Act and other emergency acts.
2Illegality and Unconstitutionality of the Proposed Order
Mark Elias, the guest, emphatically states that the executive order would be a 'completely illegal and unconstitutional power grab.' He argues that the President of the United States has no constitutional authority over federal elections and that the invocation of emergency powers under unrelated acts is baseless. The host, Brian Tyler Cohen, also highlights the potential for Republican officials and sympathetic judges to attempt to enforce such an order despite its illegality.
Elias states, 'it would be a massive massive voter suppression operation and also Brian a completely illegal and unconstitutional power grab by the president of the United States who has no authority under the Constitution to do anything with respect to federal elections.'
3Trump's Public Statements Align with Leaked Order's Intent
The hosts connect the leaked executive order's content to former President Trump's public statements on social media. Trump explicitly stated there would be voter ID for midterm elections and restrictions on mail-in ballots, 'whether approved by Congress or not.' This suggests an intent to implement these changes via executive action, aligning with the leaked draft.
Trump's social media post stated: 'There will be voter ID for the midterm elections whether approved by Congress or not. Also, the people of this country are insisting on citizenship and no mail-in ballots with exception for military disability illness or travel.'
4Anticipated 'Whack-a-Mole' Legal Battle
Mark Elias predicts that if such an executive order is attempted, the legal response will not be a single, orderly lawsuit but rather a fragmented 'whack-a-mole' scenario. This involves numerous lawsuits against individual states, counties, and local election deniers who might attempt to enforce the order, creating a complex and resource-intensive legal challenge.
Elias states, 'This is going to be playing whack-a-mole with crazy election deniers all around the country.' He emphasizes the need to 'sue a lot of places' if red states or local officials adopt Trump's directives.
5Voter Fraud Claims Debunked as Pretext for Suppression
The hosts cite research demonstrating the extreme rarity of voter fraud, particularly impersonation fraud. This evidence suggests that the focus on 'voter integrity' and measures like strict voter ID are not solutions to a widespread problem but rather a 'Trojan horse' designed to suppress votes from demographics less likely to support Republicans.
Justin Levit's book, 'The Truth About Voter Fraud,' reviewed a billion ballots from 2000-2014 and found only 31 credible instances of impersonation fraud. A Utah review for non-citizens on voter rolls found only one, who had never voted.
Lessons
- Support independent media outlets like Democracy Docket and channels like Brian Tyler Cohen's, as they are crucial for disseminating information on election integrity issues that traditional media may overlook.
- Be prepared for and support legal challenges against any executive orders or local actions that attempt to unilaterally alter election procedures, as these efforts will likely involve extensive, decentralized litigation.
- Educate yourself and others on the factual rarity of voter fraud to counter narratives used to justify restrictive voting measures, understanding that such measures often serve as tools for voter suppression.
Quotes
"It would be a massive massive voter suppression operation and also Brian a completely illegal and unconstitutional power grab by the president of the United States who has no authority under the Constitution to do anything with respect to federal elections."
"There will be voter ID for the midterm elections whether approved by Congress or not. Also, the people of this country are insisting on citizenship and no mail-in ballots with exception for military disability illness or travel."
"This is going to be playing whack-a-mole with crazy election deniers all around the country."
"This is a solution in search of a problem. And that underscores the fact that this was never about eliminating some widespread voter fraud because that widespread voter fraud doesn't exist. It is just a Trojan horse to be able to suppress the votes of people that Donald Trump and Republicans don't think are going to vote for Donald Trump and Republicans."
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