WASHINGTON, DC (April 21, 2023) Free Speech For People has sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Special Counsel Jack Smith and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Wray, detailing evidence uncovered by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol which shows that Donald Trump’s attorneys Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani discussed a multistate effort access and copy voting system software in the Oval Office with former president Donald Trump. Unlike a previously-reported and ultimately unsuccessful plan for government agencies to seize voting machines, this second plan was actually executed. 

The letter describes and cites testimony provided to the January 6th Committee about the infamous “unhinged” December 18, 2020 meeting that took place in the White House, which outlines two different and distinct plans to seize voting machines.  The Trump attorneys sought access to the voting machines for the purpose of extracting and examining the voting software to support the Trump campaign’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 

The first plan, outlined in a draft Executive Order that was never executed, described using the Department of Defense and/or Department of Homeland Security to seize voting equipment. This plan was rejected by White House attorneys and other advisors. 

The second plan, promoted by Rudy Giuliani, involved gaining “voluntary” access to voting equipment to access the software which would then be used to support Trump’s effort to overturn the election. Despite some unsuccessful attempts, this plan was ultimately fruitful. According to testimony from White House staff secretary and counsel, Derek Lyons, 

“[Giuliani’s] position was that I believe the campaign was going to secure voluntary access to machines, and that that would be the way to prove up the compromise of the machines.”

The letter also highlights an email sent by Sidney Powell to Trump Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, and Trump’s assistant Molly Michael which indicates that a promise was made for voting machine access in the December 18th meeting with Trump. The email states:

“Georgia machine access promised in meeting Friday night to happen Sunday has not come through.” 

The Trump team was later successful in Coffee County, Georgia. 

The letter cites a text message sent from Giuliani associate Katherine Friess to the software forensics firm SullivanStrickler, which provides color regarding Giuliani’s involvement in the effort to copy voting software in Coffee County, Georgia.  SullivanStrickler was contracted by Sidney Powell to access and copy sensitive voting software in Georgia, Michigan and Nevada. 

“Hi! Just handed [sic] back in DC with the Mayor. Huge things starting to come together! Most immediately, we were granted access -by written invitation! – to the Coffee County Systens [sic].”

The text message was produced in discovery in the ongoing lawsuit Curling v. Raffensperger. Free Speech For People is not a party, counsel, or amicus in that lawsuit. 

The multistate plan to appropriate voting software in Georgia, Nevada and Michigan, and its ties to the Trump campaign, were first uncovered by plaintiffs in Curling, despite repeated attempts by the Georgia Secretary of State to discredit and dismiss concerns of the breach.

The testimony cited in the letter by Free Speech For People is the first publicly available evidence that indicates this plan was discussed with Donald Trump. 

The letter reiterates Free Speech For People’s call to the Special Counsel, Attorney General and FBI to investigate the multistate plot to access voting software. 

“There is abundant evidence revealing a coordinated, multistate plot, funded and directed by Sidney Powell and other attorneys for the Trump Campaign, to access voting machines,” said Susan Greenhalgh, Senior Advisor for Election Security at Free Speech For People. “Testimony from the January 6th Committee appears to tie this directly to Donald Trump. The Justice Department and Special Counsel cannot ignore this matter any longer. This must be investigated now.”