[NFA] U.S. judges on Monday rejected bids led by an ally of President Donald Trump to decertify President-elect Joe Biden’s victories in Michigan and Georgia because of unsubstantiated election irregularities and to have Trump declared the winner in both states, the latest failed efforts to upend the election results.
This report produced by Chris Dignam.
DONALD TRUMP: "He couldn't stand the feeling of losing a match." President Donald Trump on Monday once again falsely claimed that he won the November election at a ceremony in the Oval Office to award the Medal of Freedom to wrestler Dan Gable.
TRUMP: "He won 117 consecutive matches and lost only one.
Well, you know, in politics, I won two, so I'm 2-0.
That’s pretty good, too.
We'll see how that turns out." So far, his efforts to overturn the election results have not turned out well, and the lawyer spearheading his legal challenges, Rudy Giuliani, was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.
TRUMP: "Rudy's doing well.
I just spoke to him.
He's doing very well.
No temperature.
And he actually called me early this morning.
He was the first call I got.
He's doing very well." Meanwhile, two judges on Monday rejected lawsuits led by former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell to decertify President-elect Joe Biden’s victories in Michigan and Georgia and declare Trump the winner in those states over unfounded claims of voter fraud.
In Michigan, U.S. District Judge Linda Parker of Detroit said: "The people have spoken," adding, "This lawsuit seems to be less about achieving the relief plaintiffs seek... and more about the impact of their allegations on people's faith in the democratic process and their trust in our government." In Georgia, U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten of Atlanta said: "They want this court to substitute its judgment for that of two-and-a-half million Georgia voters who voted for Joe Biden, and this I am unwilling to do." BRAD RAFFENSPERGER: "Continuing to make debunked claims of a stolen election is hurting our state." Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, announced that his state's results were recertified on Monday, following a hand recount and a formal recount requested by the Trump campaign.
RAFFENSPERGER: "I know there are people that are convinced the election was fraught with problems, but the evidence - the actual evidence - the facts tell us a different story." But a majority of Republicans in recent opinion polls have said they believe Trump won the election and that it was stolen through voter fraud, despite the fact that state election officials have said there is no evidence of such fraud.
In the meantime, the Trump campaign has raked in a fortune in donations for what it calls an "Official Election Defense Fund", raising more than $200 million and counting since Election Day.
The fine print makes clear that most of the money would go to priorities other than election lawsuits, including retiring the debts of Trump's campaign.
Democrat Joe Biden on Monday won the state-by-state Electoral College vote that formally determines the U.S. presidency, all but..
