Meadows texts reveal direct White House communications with pro-Trump operative behind plans to seize voting machines - 2022-09-26

Meadows texts reveal direct White House communications with pro-Trump operative behind plans to seize voting machines September 26, 2022, Zachary Cohen, CNN

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As allies of then-President Donald Trump made a final push to overturn the election in late-December 2020, one of the key operatives behind the effort briefed then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about his attempts to gain access to voting systems in key battleground states, starting with Arizona and Georgia, according to text messages obtained by CNN.

Phil Waldron, an early proponent of various election-related conspiracy theories, texted Meadows on December 23 that an Arizona judge had dismissed a lawsuit filed by friendly GOP lawmakers there. The suit demanded state election officials hand over voting machines and other election equipment, as part of the hunt for evidence to support Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud.

In relaying the news to Meadows, Waldron said the decision would allow opponents to engage in "delay tactics" preventing Waldron and his associates from immediately accessing machines. Waldron also characterized Arizona as "our lead domino we were counting on to start the cascade," referring to similar efforts in other states like Georgia.

Wikipedia cite:

{{cite news | first = Zachary | last = Cohen | title = Meadows texts reveal direct White House communications with pro-Trump operative behind plans to seize voting machines | url = https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/26/politics/meadows-texts-phil-waldron-seize-voting-machines-election-fraud/index.html | work = CNN | date = September 26, 2022 | accessdate = October 15, 2022 }}