By Steve Neavling
Then-President Trump urged top Justice Department officials to declare the 2020 election “corrupt” in late December as part of an effort to overturn the outcome, according to hand-written notes of the conversation.
In a Dec. 27 phone call with then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and his deputy Richard Donoghue, Trump also suggested he may replace the DOJ’s leadership, The New York Times reports.
Donoghue wrote notes of the conversation, which were released Friday by a House committee.
“Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,” Trump said, according to the notes.
Donoghue advised Trump that his claims were unfounded.
“Much of the info you’re getting is false,” Donoghue said, adding that the DOJ had conducted “dozens of investigations, hundreds of interviews” and came across no evidence of fraud.
The conversation comes several weeks after Attorney General William Bar said there was no evidence of widespread vote fraud.
“These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nation’s top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., and chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said in a statement.
Trump also suggested, “People want me to replace DOJ leadership.”
Donoghue responded, “You should have the leadership you want,” but added it wouldn’t change the outcome of the election.
