OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A legal strategy being laid out by former President Donald Trump’s legal team isn’t likely to sit well with opponents or many of his supporters.
According to the Washington Post, his legal team will use the opportunity in court to relitigate several key arguments made following the 2020 election that he was robbed of a victory in lieu of Joe Biden.
The paper claimed to have cited sources close to the former president that he wants to subpoena witnesses regarding the election to argue that he actually won.
In fact, Trump attorney John Lauro confirmed to Fox News this week that the plan is to “re-litigate every single issue in the 2020 election in the context of this litigation.”
He said the various federal indictments “gives President Trump an opportunity that he has never had before, which is to have subpoena power since Jan. 6 in a way that can be exercised in federal court.”
Some Republican strategists view this plan as problematic, arguing that the 2024 race should concentrate on a broader range of issues. They point out that the evidence presented by leaders in Trump’s 2020 campaign and the government refutes his claims, Newsmax added.
Moreover, both Democrat and Republican leaders concur that revisiting the events of the 2020 election has had a negative impact on the Republican Party’s standing among moderates and swing voters during the midterm elections. They also fear that dwelling on these issues could harm Trump and the rest of the GOP ticket in the upcoming elections.
“To the extent that it forces him to talk about the past rather than the future, it is not helpful to his campaign,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres noted, according to the Post.
On his “Ruthless” podcast, Michael Duncan, a GOP digital consultant associated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stated on Thursday that concentrating on election denial was a significant factor in the party losing control of the Senate.
“If this is the conversation we’re going to have over the next year and a half, it’s going to be tough for Republicans, particularly in suburban areas,” Duncan predicted.
On the other hand, Trump legal spokeswoman and attorney Alina Habba stated on Thursday that the defense team will demonstrate that Trump genuinely believed there were problems with the 2020 election’s results. However, she clarified that the legal team won’t be required to prove that the results were fraudulent.
“The truth is, as an American, there were questions that he had regarding the election integrity,” Habba said. “We’ve seen documents come out, we’ve seen documentaries come out showing that there were issues with the election.
“When somebody wants to say that the 2020 election was perfect and that President Trump has no right to object to it, we’ve got to go show him all the facts, and there’s a lot of facts to show,” she added.
Trump posted on his Truth Social page on Thursday before heading to Washington, D.C., to be arraigned on new federal charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that he was to be arrested “for having challenged a corrupt, rigged, & stolen election.”
Trump has experienced a surge in popularity and financial support after the three indictments he received. However, his opponents argue that these gains may transform into weaknesses in a potential general election against President Biden.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently trailing far behind Trump in second place, has expressed his intention to pardon the former president if he wins the election.