A series of new subpoenas in the Justice Department’s investigation focuses on Trump’s fundraising between his election loss and his exit from office in January.
They believe he may have defrauded donors out of hundreds of millions of dollars when he claimed the money would go into a fund to “defend” elections, alongside false claims that the 2020 election was ‘stolen.’
Emails sent to supporters throughout this period touted an “Election Defense Fund,” as Trump’s allies proclaimed in courtrooms, on news and opinion programs, at press conferences, and online, that Democrats or foreign entities had used one method or another to ‘steal’ Trump’s rightful win and hand the election over to Joe Biden.
Even as it was proven over and over that the only reason Joe Biden won the election was that he received more votes than Trump, he continued to push the Big Lie.
Donations poured in, over $200 million, from people who apparently truly believed Trump could alter the outcome of the election.
He and the attorneys and others touting his claims were so effective and convincing that his fans even showed up in droves for a rally-turned-riot, many genuinely believing that they could force Congress to send back electoral votes for Biden.
Ultimately, the legal issue is that it was all a lie.
Trump did not win the election, voting machines didn’t flip votes (even his own allies admit this when they’re off the record), the pressure campaigns and lawsuits didn’t cancel the transfer of power, and, it seems, there was never actually an ‘Election Defense Fund.’ From Washington Post:
“Prosecutors also sought information about an “Election Defense Fund” — cited in some fundraising emails that asked for donor money to challenge the election — and any documents about whether such a fund existed or whether there were plans for such a fund. Trump advisers told the Jan. 6 committee that references to the fund in pitches was a marketing tactic and no such segregated fund ever existed.”