Trump campaign knew Dominion fraud allegations were untrue, new memo suggests
![Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uuX53HAF8zYPWbZ42yWXpJ-415-80.jpg)
A memo released Monday night as part of a defamation lawsuit against the Trump campaign suggests campaign officials "were aware early on" that many of their lawyers' election fraud claims against Dominion Voting Systems and election software company Smartmatic were untrue, The New York Times reports Tuesday.
The court papers, initially filed late last week in the suit spearheaded by former Dominion employee Eric Coomer, also indicate the officials were aware of the baseless allegations ahead of the "widely watched" Nov. 19 news conference, during which the campaign's legal team claimed Dominion, Smartmatic, financier George Soros, and Venezuela worked together to steal the election from former President Donald Trump. Even as Sidney Powell "and other lawyers attacked [Dominion] in the conservative media," it appears the campaign just "sat on its findings," per the Times.
The Nov. 14 memo, albeit "hastily assembled," reportedly found: (1) Dominion did not use Smartmatic voting technology in the 2020 election; (2) Dominion had no direct ties to Venezuela or Soros, as was then purported; (3) and there was no evidence Dominion's leadership was connected to left-wing "antifa" activists, as Powell and others also claimed, the Times writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The memo produced by the Trump campaign shows that, at least internally, the Trump campaign found there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories regarding Dominion," wrote lawyers for Coomer, the former Dominion employee.
It is unclear if Trump himself ever saw the memo; "still, the documents suggest that his campaign's communications staff remained silent about what it knew of the claims against Dominion at a moment when the allegations were circulating freely." Read more at The New York Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published