Last December, Texas’ attorney general announced he was suing four states in a desperate attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

Lawyers in the Florida AG’s office called it “bats--t insane” and “weird," records we obtained show.
tampabay.com/news/florida-p…
The next day, Florida’s attorney general joined 16 other Republican attorneys general signing a brief urging the Supreme Court to hear the Texas lawsuit.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, alleging that pandemic-related changes to election procedures amounted to widespread fraud.
americanoversight.org/investigation/…
The suit was thrown out by the Supreme Court within days, but not before it drew support from at least 125 Republican members of the House of Representatives, Donald Trump, and the attorneys general of 17 other states, including Florida AG Ashley Moody.
But behind the scenes, lawyers working for Florida’s solicitor general criticized the lawsuit.

On Dec. 8, Senior Deputy SG Christopher Baum wrote, “Batshit insane, which is why Kyle [Texas’ solicitor general] is not on it.”
americanoversight.org/document/flori…
Baum later wrote, “I bet this royally pisses off the Republican SGs currently arguing that the Court’s original jurisdiction is mandatory. Because this is Exhibit A for why the Court does not want to go down that road.“
Deputy AG James Percival asked, “What’s the theory for how one state has standing to allege Bush v. Gore violations against another state[?]”

“Because,” Baum replied.
Chief Deputy SG Jeffrey DeSousa asked, “have they asked Florida to join?”

Baum replied, “Someone will draft an amicus and ask us to do so,” adding that another lawyer pointed out that the Texas lawsuit could have been “Paxton’s request for a pardon.”
We obtained these records as part of our investigation into Paxton’s lawsuit and the attempt by Trump allies to overturn the election. Learn more about our ongoing investigation here:
americanoversight.org/investigation/…

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More from @weareoversight

27 Oct
Both the Trump and Biden administrations have followed the same pattern in hiring immigration judges: a high percentage previously worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other law enforcement agencies.
americanoversight.org/why-biden-can-…
The Executive Office of Immigration Review is part of the Department of Justice. EOIR conducts proceedings that determine if potential immigrants will be removed from the United States.
The similarities in hiring patterns across administrations demonstrate how little has changed for those navigating the immigration court system.
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26 Oct
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis recently released a new report on the Trump administration’s Farmers to Families program. The report cites records we obtained that suggest the administration leveraged the program for political advantage.
americanoversight.org/house-pandemic…
The Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program began distribution in May 2020. But the program encountered numerous problems related to distribution and cost, in addition to concerns that it was being improperly politicized by the administration.
Weeks before the 2020 election, the Trump admin. started requiring that letters signed by then-President Trump be added to packages. In the letter, Trump took credit for sending “nutritious food from our farmers to families in need throughout America.”
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22 Oct
On Jan. 6, supporters of former President Trump stormed the Capitol hoping to stop the transfer of power to President Biden. How did this happen? How do we prevent it from happening again? Here’s how we’re investigating. #FOIAFriday
americanoversight.org/american-overs…
We have filed dozens of FOIAs related to the attacks. Yesterday, we sued for records that could shed light on what was going on behind the scenes when requests for the deployment of National Guard troops to help secure the Capitol were delayed for hours.
americanoversight.org/document/compl…
The lawsuit was filed against the Departments of Justice, Defense, Homeland Security, and the Interior for failing to release records responsive to 11 FOIA requests we filed in August. Here’s some of what the requests ask for:
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21 Oct
NEW: We obtained text messages sent by Fulton County, Penn. commissioners that indicate the county’s Dec. 31 initial evaluation of voting machines conducted by Wake TSI may have been prompted by a subpoena threat by Sen. Doug Mastriano.
americanoversight.org/american-overs…
The records suggest Mastriano, who has sought to undermine public confidence in the 2020 election, told the county that it could cooperate with the evaluation of voting machines voluntarily or face a subpoena.
In a text exchange, the county’s election director Patti Hess said that Mastriano indicated “all counties are to do this or be subpoena[ed] to prove votes.”
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21 Oct
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A major remaining open question from the Jan. 6 attacks revolves around how the Trump White House responded to the attack and what accounted for the delay in authorizing the deployment of National Guard troops to assist at the Capitol.
There was a more than three-hour delay in the deployment of National Guard troops after Capitol Police first called for backup at 1:49 p.m.
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21 Oct
The Wisconsin Assembly’s partisan election review has been in the spotlight as the attorney hired to lead the “investigation” has made numerous public missteps. Here’s what has happened in the “review’s” rough couple of weeks — and how we’re investigating.
americanoversight.org/news-roundup-s…
In case you need a quick recap: In May, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos announced a
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Earlier this month, Gableman drew well-deserved criticism for comparing the @journalsentinel to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's Nazi propaganda minister.
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