A judge on Tuesday appeared skeptical of President Donald Trump's request to block officials from certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Pennsylvania, underscoring the difficulties the Trump campaign has faced in challenging the outcome of the U.S. election.
This report published by Chris Dignam.
RUDY GIULIANI: "May it please the court... My name is Rudolph Giuliani and I'm here on behalf of the... the Plaintiffs." Rudy Giuliani, who is spearheading President Donald Trump's legal fight to block President-elect Joe Biden from being certified as the winner of Pennsylvania, claimed at a hearing in federal court on Tuesday in Williamsport that allowed remote access to live audio... GIULIANI: "Fraudulent!" ...that there was not only voting fraud in Pennsylvania, but that it was nationwide, offering no evidence to back up that claim.
GIULIANI: "The best description of this situation is it's a widespread nationwide, uh, voter fraud, of which this is a part." Lawyers representing several Pennsylvania counties in the lawsuit called Giuliani's claims "disgraceful." PENNSYLVANIA LAWYER MARK ARONCHICK: "I don't think that Mr. Giuliani has even read Judge Ranjan's opinion or even understands it... Mr. Giuliani is talking about another case, some invented case, some fantasy world case.
But the case before your honor, they removed all of those allegations.
Gone... I mean, this is... This... this just is, is disgraceful in an American courtroom of any place." Despite Giuliani's sweeping claims, the Pennsylvania lawsuit -- which initially included claims that Trump campaign observers were denied access to ballot counting -- narrowed the case to focus on an allegation that some voters were improperly allowed to fix or "cure" their ballots.
GIULIANI: "As far as we're concerned your honor, those ballots could've been from Mickey Mouse." The judge in the case appeared skeptical of the request to block officials from certifying the vote, saying that halting certification would effectively disenfranchise all voters in Pennsylvania.
U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE MATTHEW BRANN: "At bottom, you are asking this court to invalidate more than 6.8 million votes, which we just heard about from counsel, thereby disenfranchising every single voter in the Commonwealth.
Can you tell me how this result can possibly be justified?" The judge indicated he would not immediately rule on the case, and as it unfolded, Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ruled in a separate lawsuit that the elections board in Philadelphia acted reasonably in keeping Trump campaign observers 15 feet away from counting tables, rejecting an appeal from Trump's campaign.
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