SCOOP - Sidney Powell was in Oval Office last night as POTUS discussed making her special counsel for election fraud. @KannoYoungs and me nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
Among those pushing back on the idea was Pat Cipollone, Meadows and even Giuliani. But Giuliani separately pushed DHS this week to seize control of voting machines to examine them for possible fraud. DHS said it has no authority to do that. nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
The meeting got raucous, with various administration members drifting in and out and different people arguing. Powell told others they were quitters, people people briefed on the meeting nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
The fact of the meeting - and Giuliani hope of seizing the voting machines - has alarmed some of the president's advisers, who see his desire to take his refusal to accept the election results as in a dangerous new place nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
Meadows and Cipollone strenuously and repeatedly objected to these suggestions, saying there was no constitutional basis, according to the people briefed.
One person floated an executive order to seize the voting machines. That was also shot down by Cipollone, per the people briefed.
Adding to the story but two people briefed said Flynn was there as well for this meeting.
During the meeting, the president asked about Flynn’s suggestion of deploying the military, those briefed said. That was also shot down.
MORE - POTUS asked about possibility of Powell being given security clearances to pursue her theories, per people briefed on the meeting.
In the president's mind, "special counsel" is what DoJ made happen with Mueller, but what was being discussed was Powell working inside the White House - and Trump came very close to hiring her, per multiple people briefed.
"Ms. Powell’s ideas were shot down by every other Trump adviser present, all of whom repeatedly pointed out that she had yet to back up her claims with proof." nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
"At one point, one person briefed on the meeting said, she produced several affidavits, but upon inspection they were all signed by a man she has previously used as an expert witness, whose credentials have been called into question." nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
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