House Republicans Hire Ex-Trump Campaign Officials Involved in 2020 Fake Electors Plot to Oversee Elections

Two former campaign officials involved in Donald Trump’s 2020 fake electors scheme have been hired by House Republicans to oversee national elections, according to a new report from CNN. The hires have raised concerns about the potential influence of individuals tied to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as they now hold key positions on Capitol Hill.

The Committee on House Administration, which will play a critical role when Congress certifies the election results on January 6, has hired former Trump campaign lawyer Joshua Findlay and political operative Thomas Lane. Both were involved in efforts related to the fake electors plot during the 2020 election.

CNN reported Thursday that the overlap between Trump’s 2020 campaign team and the GOP-led committee in charge of overseeing elections indicates that key figures involved in Trump’s legal maneuvers are now positioned in influential roles. This development, according to the report, could pave the way for challenges to the 2024 election results if Trump or the GOP faces defeat.

“The House, currently under GOP control, is well-positioned to flood the zone with Trump’s new series of lies about ballots, vote-counting, and the election process, and is laying the groundwork to challenge a potential defeat in November,” CNN reported.

Findlay, who played a role in advancing the fake electors plan in battleground states—especially Georgia—will now advise Republican members of Congress and election observers on election laws in critical states. Emails obtained by CNN show that Findlay was instrumental in efforts to push through fake electors in Georgia and other states.

Lane, another former Trump operative, served as a backup fake elector in Arizona during the 2020 election and was involved in coordinating the logistics of the scheme. He helped collect contact information and organize meeting places for fake electors, according to CNN’s findings. Lane is now listed as Elections Counsel & Director of Elections Coalition on the Committee on House Administration’s records.

Further complicating matters, the House Administration elections subcommittee has reportedly met with organizations linked to Trump’s 2020 attempts to overturn the election. One of these groups is the Conservative Partnership Institute, an organization with ties to Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

Another group, the Election Integrity Network, is run by Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who participated in Trump’s infamous January 2021 phone call with Georgia’s secretary of state, during which Trump demanded the discovery of over 11,000 votes to reverse the state’s election results in his favor.

The involvement of individuals like Findlay and Lane in overseeing elections has raised concerns among critics, who worry that their ties to the fake elector’s plot and Trump’s broader efforts to challenge election results may influence their handling of election integrity in the 2024 race. With Republicans controlling the House and key figures from Trump’s 2020 campaign now in place, the stage could be set for further disputes over the electoral process.