Trump staffer ‘told fake electors in Georgia to secretly vote for the ex-president’

A campaign staffer for former President Donald Trump asked Republicans for ‘complete discretion’ in communications about a scheme to name fake electors amid a legal battle over the election. 

‘I must ask for your complete discretion in this process,’ aide Robert Sinners, wrote the group of Georgia Republicans, according to an email obtained by the Washington Post and published in a week where the House January 6 Committee rolls out an explosive prime time hearing designed for maximum impact.

He told the group of 16 Republicans who were to take part in the event at the state capitol: ‘Your duties are imperative to ensure the end result — a win in Georgia for President Trump — but will be hampered unless we have complete secrecy and discretion.’

Robert Sinners told Georgia Republicans meeting in the state capitol to provide ‘complete discretion’ as they prepared to meet as ‘fake electors’

Sinners also wanted them to keep a lid on their activities generally and keep it out of the press. ‘Please, at no point should you mention anything to do with Presidential Electors or speak to the media,’ he wrote in the Dec. 13, 2020 email, which came as Trump allies were desperately trying to find ways to combat President Joe Biden’s 306-232 win in the Electoral College.

Sinners was serving as Trump’s election day operations lead. 

When the Republicans met and declared themselves ‘duly elected,’ it provided an opportunity for Trump allies to claim there were rival slates – a matter that could ultimately be decided in the Congress in an election where Trump was claiming fraud.

The Jan. 6 panel has focused on the issue of fake electors, and is likely to get into the subject at Thursday night’s hearing.

The campaign official said he was working at the direction of chairman of the Georgia Republican Party David Shafer, whose lawyer said he didn’t seek confidentiality

‘We have now counted legally cast ballots three times, and the results remain unchanged,’ Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Dec. 7, 2020

Sinners provided a statement to the paper that he was working at the direction of state GOP chair David Shafer. ‘I was advised by attorneys that this was necessary in order to preserve the pending legal challenge,’ he said. 

But he also indicated his own views have flipped. ‘Following the Former President’s refusal to accept the results of the election and allow a peaceful transition of power, my views on this matter have changed significantly from where they were on December 13th,’ lawyer Robert Driscoll said. 

A Shafer lawyer told the Post that his client had handed over communications to the House select committee. ‘None of these communications, nor his testimony, suggest that Mr. Shafer requested or wished for confidentiality surrounding the provisional electors.

Georgia had already certified Biden’s victory in the state three times by the time of the email. 

‘We have now counted legally cast ballots three times, and the results remain unchanged,’ Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Dec. 7, 2020. 

The The Fulton County, Georgia district attorney is investigating Trump’s election overturn effort in Georgia. Georgia state law requires electors to meet at the capitol for official proceedings.

Sinners now works in Raffensperger’s office.