Thread by @awprokop

The hearing for the Trump campaign's federal lawsuit against the state of Pennsylvania has begun.

Rudy Giuliani is present and introduces himself.

Judge Matthew Brann presiding. Daniel Donovan of Kirkland & Ellis will be making the main argument for the defense.

Starts with discussion on the changing versions of the Trump campaign's complaint. The remaining claim that will be discussed today will be about equal protection

Rudy begins by saying there is "widespread, nationwide voter fraud of which this is a part."

He quotes Rahm Emanuel's years-old quote about never letting a crisis go to waste. Says the pandemic was used as cover to expand mail-in voting.

Rudy tells the court there has been a "time-honored practice" of "holding back votes" in the "corrupt big cities," and mail votes have given people "a wonderful opportunity to hold back votes, even to produce votes after the election"

Rudy asserts a nationwide conspiracy in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta to shut out Republican observers. “This is not an accident. You’d have to be a fool to think this is an accident.”

After a pause in the hearing due to technical difficulties, we've now gotten started again. Back to Daniel Donovan, lawyer arguing for the state of PA, against the Trump campaign's claim.

Donovan wraps up by saying they don't have standing, they don't have an equal protection claim, that Giuliani's examples were deleted from the amended complaint, and that the suit should be dismissed today.

Mark Aronchick, lawyer arguing for Allegheny County, is getting very animated rebutting Giuliani.

Says he doesn't think Giuliani "has even read" an opinion he cited "or even understands it."

Aronchick: “There is no case that they have cited, there is no case that we can find,” where local efforts to make voting *easier* “is an equal protection violation.”

Says Trump campaign's arguments are turning the equal protection clause "upside down."

Aronchick says Giuliani is bringing up all sorts of irrelevant matters — happenings in Clark County, NV, and something else "that happened in 1960."

Also calls it disgraceful that Rudy was “comparing election workers, people who run our elections, our patriots, to the mafia"

Judge Brann begins his questions. Says Trump team is alleging two individuals were denied right to vote in violation of equal protection clause. But they're asking him to invalidate all PA's votes.

"Can you tell me how this result can possibly be justified?”

Giuliani responds with incoherent, free-form rambling on a variety of topics. Finally another lawyer on Trump's side jumps in and tries to refocus attention on their legal claim, urging the judge not to dismiss the case but rather move ahead to an evidentiary hearing.