Trump floated naming Sidney Powell as special counsel for election fraud investigation: reports

President Trump on Friday discussed the idea of naming Sidney Powell, an attorney once associated with his campaign, to the position of special counsel for an investigation into alleged voter fraud and the 2020 election, The New York Times, Politico and the Wall Street Journal reported. 

The former Trump campaign lawyer made headlines earlier in the year when she took part in an effort to reverse election results in the state of Georgia. However, those challenges were tossed by various courts. 

She, along with the president and his allies, have repeatedly claimed that the election has been tainted by widespread election fraud. However, there has been no substantial evidence to support this claim. Following the 2020 election, several election officials stated that the race was one of the most secure in U.S. history. 

According to two sources briefed on the discussion, most of his advisers opposed the idea of the appointment including the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, according to the Times. 

Powell herself was in attendance at the meeting, as well as former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, according to a senior administration official, Politico reported. 

The meeting reportedly devolved into yelling and screaming, according to the senior official, and the lawyers were accusing each other of not putting in enough effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Both Flynn and Powell reportedly claimed the administration was not working hard enough to reverse Trump’s loss.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Cipollone and Meadows also opposed the idea of the appointment.

The senior official also told Politico that National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien participated in the meeting via phone. 

It’s unclear if Trump will continue to push for Powell’s appointment.

The suggestion by the president comes as his campaign and his allies’ various legal challenges to overturn election results have remained largely unsuccessful. 

During her work with the campaign, Powell alleged that the company Dominion, that manufactures voting machines, contained an irregularity rigged in President-elect Biden’s favor.  

On Thursday, Dominion sent Powell a letter demanding that she retract her “defamatory” statements regarding their voting machines.

“As a result of your false accusations, Dominion has suffered enormous harm, and its employees have been stalked, have been harassed, and have received death threats,” the letter reads.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.