Marc Elias – The Democrat Who Singlehandedly Destroyed American Democracy (12/04/2020)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Marc Elias’s partisan legal career may appear to glitter like gold but even a cursory examination reveals his legal ethics are, at best, dubious.
In fact, Elias likely has done irreparable harm to the United States of America.
Who is this guy?
In short, he was the paymaster behind the “Steele dossier” and the architect of the “Vote by Mail” ploy that seemingly has stolen reelection from President Donald Trump.
Elias’s Public Face
Elias is a partner in the Seattle-based law firm of Perkins Coie and serves as the chair of its Political Law Group. As described on the firm’s website:
“Marc represents dozens of U.S. senators, governors, representatives and their campaigns as well as the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Priorities USA, Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC. Marc served as general counsel to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016 and John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.”
In his various capacities, Elias, who is situated in Washington, D.C., is heavily involved in fighting lawsuits challenging the results of the presidential elections in key battleground states.
He poses as the virtuous protector of the voting rights of the downtrodden masses who have succumbed to COVID-19 fear mongering and lack the courage to appear in person to vote.
However, Elias’s true character can be judged by a typical ploy he embraces – accuse a political opponent of the same reprehensible conduct that he, in turn, resorts to. For example, here is an Elias quote that appeared on September 21 in The New Republic:
“Donald Trump has shown a willingness to violate every norm that one associates with the president of the United States, and even the law, in order to advance his political interests, and I expect that between now and the election we will continue to see him do everything he can to win reelection,” Elias told {the reporter]. “And that will include things ranging from using [his] bully pulpit to bad-mouth voting by mail to worse .”
Grilling By House Intelligence Panel
On December 13, 2017, Elias appeared before an executive session of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to answer questions about his knowledge of and involvement with the Steele dossier.
The Steele dossier was a central element in the contrived Russian collusion hoax ostensibly linking Donald Trump and people in his presidential campaign to Russia. It resulted in the naming of Robert Mueller as special counsel to conduct a far-reaching probe with a hefty price tag.
Under intense questioning by then-Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Elias’s lawyer provided him substantial protective cover behind the legal shield of attorney-client privilege and work-product exemption.
However, Elias’s true character shone through at the tail end of the interview while he was being queried by an unidentified questioner.
It was revealed that sometime in late September or early October in 2016, Elias met in his office with Fusion GPS representatives and Christopher Steele. Perkins Coie was paid somewhere between $5 million and $6 million by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign for the law firm’s services. Neither the DNC nor the Clinton campaign knew about the meeting, Elias stated.
According to Elias, “a relatively small part [of that money] would involve” Fusion GPS. “Probably about a million dollars,” he added. Elias acknowledged he would have to sign off on those transactions.
In response to a question, Elias stated he “did not direct” Steele to the specific media outlets he was sent to but he “was aware of it.”
The exchanges that followed speak for themselves:
Q. You could have also told them not to do it?
MR. ELIAS: Hypothetically, yes.
Q. Why did you not stop Mr. Steele from speaking to media in the fall of 2016 after he was in your Washington, D.C., law offices?
MR. ELIAS: I thought that the information that – I thought that the information that he or they wished to convey was accurate and important.
Q. So the information that Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele wished to portray to the media in the fall of 2016 at that time, you thought, was accurate and important?
MR. ELIAS: As I understand it.
Q. As you understood it. Sitting here today, do you still consider that information that was relayed to the media in the fall of 2016 after the meeting in your law offices to be accurate and important?
MR. ELIAS: Yes.
Q. Have you had the opportunity to verify it independently?
MR. ELIAS: No.
Q. So how do you know it’s still accurate and important?
MR. ELIAS: You asked me my opinion.
Q. Was there any information that was accurately portrayed in that dossier that was relayed by Christopher Steele to the media in the fall of 2016?
MR: ELIAS: There were — there was information in it that I was familiar with. There was information in it that I was not familiar with. Some of the information that was in it I think has actually proved true. So, you know, my opinion that it was accurate and important, I think l was right.
Q. Would agree that there’s parts of that dossier that remain unverified to this day?
MY. ELIAS: I assume there are.
A Phony Do-Gooder
On March 18, 2020, in an article penned by Elias titled “Four Pillars To Safeguard Voting Rights With Vote By Mail,” he said:
Increasingly, we are seeing calls for states to adopt no-excuse absentee and vote by mail. This is a very important step in ensuring the right to vote , particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, it is apparent that from the get-go, Elias saw the COVID-19 situation as his vehicle of choice for achieving the goal of voting by mail, at least in what are considered swing states.
The article appeared in an impressive sounding report called “Safeguarding Our Democracy With Vote By Mail” which appears on a website called Democracy Docket that was created by none other than Elias.
Here is what prominently appears on the website:
Democracy Docket focuses on detecting, highlighting, and combating suppressive voting laws and practices that will have the greatest impact on the outcome of the 2020 elections and which are not otherwise being addressed. Put simply, we spotlight those laws and practices that restrict the right to vote but may not be the most newsworthy.
And what are the so-called “Four Pillars” that Elias considers sacrosanct:
- Postage for mail-in ballots must be free or prepaid by the government.
- Ballots postmarked on or before Election Day must be counted.
- Signature matching laws need to be reformed to protect voters.
- Community organizations should be permitted to help collect and deliver voted, sealed ballots.
It all sounds kosher until one remembers that the devil is in the details.
POSTAGE: This is simply a means to boost voting by individuals who would otherwise not think it was worth the money for a stamp just to vote or even worthwhile to exercise their right to vote by going to a polling place.
POSTMARKS: Place the blame for late delivery on the U.S. Postal Service. “This is simply wrong and unfair to voters who have done everything right but have their ballots thrown out because of delays with the postal service,” Elias wrote. In fact, Democrats made a big stink about this issue while complaining about proposed reforms to postal delivery that were announced several months prior to Election Day. In reality, people who want to vote have ample time to mail their ballots to ensure they will arrive on time.
SIGNATURE MATCHING: Elias would handle this problem as follows: “Absentee ballots with questionable signatures should be reviewed by three election officials. Only if all three find beyond a reasonable doubt that a signature does not match should it be set aside.” Presumably, at least one of the three election officials would be a Democrat and, consequently, this requirement makes the whole matching issue meaningless.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: In plain words, ballot harvesting is an honorable practice and not subject to any abuse such as helping voters complete their ballot. Republicans oppose this as a way to suppress the vote, says Elias, adding that “voters without easy access to secure and reliable outgoing mail, or who need extra help to get their ballots delivered, rely on this practice.”
A Rigged Election?
No doubt that political partisans will view the entire election debacle through red or blue lenses.
It would seem that the growing mountain of vote-related irregularities, if not outright illegalities, warrant prompt, efficient and unbiased investigation by federal law enforcement agencies.
How can anyone forget the photos from the Detroit vote counting center where workers were busy blocking the windows of the rooms where tabulations were being done?
How can anyone ignore affidavits, sworn to under penalty of perjury, of election and postal workers who reported such things as backdating receipt of ballots and instructions not to question a voter’s signature or ask for identification?
How can anyone sweep under the rug that many thousands of people who came to vote were told their mail-in ballot was already recorded and the people stated they had never even received a ballot by mail?
These are just a very brief sampling of serious allegations arising from the 2020 presidential election.
Marc Elias, who has proven to be a master at pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people, said this:
“Vote by mail is always good policy, but right now it is a critical part of democracy.”
Yes, a democracy that Marc Elias has transformed for the worse for evermore.
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We are still left to wonder how much damage was done?
There is no question that Elias was able to get rules changed that favored Biden & democrats.
Eight months later and we are still trying to understand those strange things that happened.
Here are a few:
1. Late on election night, with Trump comfortably ahead, many swing states stopped counting ballots. In most cases, observers were removed from the counting facilities. Counting generally continued without the observers
2. Statistically abnormal vote counts were the new normal when counting resumed. They were unusually large in size (hundreds of thousands) and had an unusually high (90 percent and above) Biden-to-Trump ratio
3. Late arriving ballots were counted. In Pennsylvania, 23,000 absentee ballots have impossible postal return dates and another 86,000 have such extraordinary return dates they raise serious questions
4. The failure to match signatures on mail-in ballots. The destruction of mail-in ballot envelopes, which must contain signatures
5. Historically low absentee ballot rejection rates despite the massive expansion of mail voting. Such is Biden’s narrow margin that, as political analyst Robert Barnes observes, ‘If the states simply imposed the same absentee ballot rejection rate as recent cycles, then Trump wins the election’
6. Missing votes. In Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 50,000 votes held on 47 USB cards are missing
7. Non-resident voters. Matt Braynard’s Voter Integrity Project estimates that 20,312 people who no longer met residency requirements cast ballots in Georgia. Biden’s margin is 12,670 votes
Are we?
Still "trying to understand", that is?
I think most of us have moved on.
Every one of these so called issues with the election have been addressed over and over. The fact that far right publications like The Spectator continue to try and undermine American democracy should be setting off massive alarms.
In order to believe Trump "won" the election you would have to believe there was a coast to coast conspiracy spanning every geographical corner of the country. It is absurd.
There is no way to save the demented right. They can only be defeated. When are everyone to the left of Steve Bannon going to wake up?
That conspiracy would also have to include hundreds, if not thousands, of various GOP state officials as well. Not to mention even Q-anon supporting groups like the Cyber Ninjas.
How? By recounting votes? Or by saying over and over that everything was perfect. We already found that In Georgia, there was both an audit and a statewide recount confirming Biden’s victory, but ignored in the process was evidence that nearly 35,000 Georgians had potentially voted illegally.
In order to believe Trump "won" the election you would
In order to believe Trump "won" the election you would need to prove that more votes than decided the election were illegal, wrongfully rejected or irregular. That has never been done and that is not the point. The point is that Marc Elias has corrupted the process.
Are you going to provide this "evidence", or be like the Trump lawyers in over 60 lawsuits and not provide any evidence?
Looks like Vic's absence has answered my question.
It gives him a false sense that he actually won something, which has never happened. There are others on here that have the same thoughts, even posting inane things like "the silence ensues" if you don't respond to one of their insane.....and wrong....posts.
I do each of those after I read every post they make.
It's sad, but there is no other entertainment.
According to MBFC, both The Spectator US and UK are "slightly to moderately conservative" (center right/right) and "Mostly Factual".
"A ploy that has seemingly stolen the election from Donald Trump"
Get the fuck out of here! How in hell can you expect to ever be taken seriously? Biden got eight million more votes than Trump. It was not even close...
The question is what has Elias done to the election process, not who won.
The question is whether or not eligible voters cast one vote each.
That is the only fucking question.
Every recount has matched eligible voters to the votes cast. That is what they did in Georgia too.
Pretty soon people will be calling you traitor Vic if you keep this shit up.
The key word is eligible voters.
Every recount has matched eligible voters to the votes cast.
No, every recount simply recounts votes. You are confusing a recount with an audit.
Pretty soon people will be calling you traitor Vic if you keep this shit up.
If you can say that Trump was trying to steal the election, I can certainly say Elias tried to do the same thing!
Vic the Georgia election was run by Republicans. If ineligible people voted and there was evidence the Republicans in Georgia would have addressed that.
Party control of Georgia state government - Ballotpedia
Georgia has a Republican trifecta and a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature.
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Good god man, come to your fucking senses before people like you destroy this country.
Yes John, State legislatures are supposed to make state election rules. In 2020 Marc Elias got states to change election rules. He fended off counter lawsuits, recruited armies of poll workers and got millions of people to vote by mail for the first time.
Let us at least admit it.
If the election in Georgia was stolen why didnt the governor, attorney general, the secretary of state , and the state legislature stop it? ALL of them were Trump supporters.
We KNOW who actually tried to steal the election - Trump. The Eastman memo is a smoking gun.
Who knows? Why did the Governor make that insane agreement to not check signatures with Stacey Abrams?
The Eastman memo is a smoking gun.
Ah yes, a conspiracy theory!
Ask Mike Lee if it is a conspiracy theory. He read the memo and gave it to Woodward.
By all accounts those "millions of people" are American citizens eligible to vote. If the right wing had any evidence to the contrary their dozens of lawsuits would not have been thrown out of court.
Basically it seems the right wing conservatives here seem to by whining, bitching and moaning that millions of eligible voters exercised their right to vote which caused their preferred candidate to lose because as anyone with more than half a brain knows, the more American citizens that vote, the more likely Democratic candidates are elected. Clearly this seed proves sour grapes makes for some bitter whine, and rational Americans won't be bullied into drinking it.
Found this in the bowels of the dark web did you?
Somebody is way down a conspiracy rabbit hole...
Somebody is clinging to a strawman.
How is that? You are the one selling The Big Lie.
Please see comment 3.3 . You're welcome!
Don't care if it's the NYT. It's a Big Whopper.
The author is a nutbag selling The Big Lie...
And, "pull the wool over the eyes" over many Americans is exactly what he and others did by convincing uneducated people that Absentee Voting ballot requests are the same as mandatory, unsolicited vote by mail ballots. It's stunning that so many people still don't want to understand this very simple difference!
Aww. Another the election was rigged bullshit story.
Now he lost because more people voted by mail and that is not right?
Do you all even hear yourselves?
Talk about TDS....
A lot more!
So more people voting, in your mind, is a bad thing.
Uh huh...
Not only did they vote, but they signed their ballots perfectly.
They were an inspiration for all of us.
So know you are going to joke about it?
Either you really believe this crap or you don't.
We need to distinguish crap from fact. We really can't say that the national election was compromised, but we can point to irregularities and oddities. There is a middle ground between what Trump is claiming and what democrats have claimed.
You can't say it was compromised because it wasn't...
You can claim oddities until the cows come home yet four audits of one state all said the same thing. Even a very partisan 'audit'...
Claiming that there is some middle ground with the trumpers and other people is delusion and only giving cover to false claims.
The oddities aren't claims...they are stark realities. Even the number of votes cast was historic. Both candidates, individually got more votes than any other Presidential candidate in American history.
You still haven't shown where anything was nefarious.
And until then, that title went to Obama.
Then there was the demise of famous bellweather states. Remember the adage: “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.” Well that went down the drain in 2020. How about the fact that only two times in history has a Democrat won without winning Florida? So, Donald Trump won two clear bellwether states and gained support in solid blue states like New York, yet he had trouble in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and red Georgia. It was fascinating really.
And the strangest thing of all: Republicans outperformed everywhere except for Trump!
Shall I go on?
Go on for what? The only thing you are doing is complaining.
It is all so strange....
No its not.
So in your mind, all the votes for every other republican were just and true, just not the ones for Biden/trump...
A mighty feat to pull off there.
Too bad they didn't do a recount, or a hand count, or some kind of audit to see how all the votes were cast...
Oh wait...
It was in those battleground states where the strangest things happened - and it was they, who took the longest time in totaling up the votes. It was in those key battleground states where Biden really outperformed. In those same key battleground states, the down ballot democrat candidates should have ridden his coattails, yet they didn’t.
Are you trying to convince yourself?
I'm just stating how strange an election it was.
And like the one before wasn't...
You do not see that maybe some people like republicans and would vote for them down ballot yet didn't like trump?
The gop lost House, Senate and Presidency.
How do ya figure that's winning everywhere?
Do you actually think that helps your argument? It does the opposite from help your argument.
Endless conspiracy theories. Good grief what a pointless waste of time and effort to provide cover for Trump (of all people).
Amazing isn't it. Now the attacks on people voting by mail. How dare they.
donald would have won if all these damn extra people didn't vote...
It just blows my mind that people are still clinging to the Big Lie. I just do not see the attraction to Trump that causes so many to abandon common sense, ignore overwhelming evidence and just blindly believe that lying sack of shit.
Amazing to me all the people on this seed that fall for the crap.
On the whole it is related to white grievance and the feeling they are "losing" their country to diversity and multiculturalism.
A Univ of Chicago survey last April determined that racism and white grievance was the number one motivator for the Jan 6 pro Trump riot at the Capitol.
LOL
A Univ of Chicago survey last April determined that racism and white grievance was the number one motivator for the Jan 6 pro Trump riot at the Capitol.
LMAO!
What do you think it was ? Treason? Stupidity? Assholeishness?
I'll have to write that one down.
Why? Are you going to use it as your epitaph?
The University of Chicago, just like the city it is in, is a far left loon shithole where no one with integrity would like to attend.
Shit like this is what ruins social media for everyone!
One would think that Jeffery would be far more upset by Donald's woeful choice of 'lawyers'. Alas, he whines about a winner.
Does he leap tall buildings in a single bound too?