Giuliani formally asks federal judge to give Pennsylvania's electors to Trump


Rudy Giuliani, representing President Trump's campaign, asked a federal judge Wednesday to declare Trump the winner in Pennsylvania, a state President-elect Joe Biden won by about 82,000 votes. Giuliani amended the campaign's court filing for a second time, seeking to put back in complaints Trump's previous legal team had removed Sunday about how close Trump's observers had been allowed during ballot counting. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had unanimously rejected that claim Tuesday, a decision the Trump new campaign's filing stridently criticized.
Trump's campaign, Giuliani wrote, wants U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann to order that "the results of the 2020 presidential general election are defective and providing for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to choose Pennsylvania's electors," with the ultimate goal of "Trump being declared the winner of the legal votes cast in Pennsylvania in the 2020 general election, and, thus, the recipient of Pennsylvania's electors."
Biden won 306 electoral votes, meaning that if Pennsylvania's 20 electors were somehow moved into Trump's column, he would still have more than the 270 he needs to become president. Trump's campaign continues to pursue losing lawsuits in several states, but since it hasn't been able to prove fraud and can't disqualify enough ballots to reverse any states, Trump and Giuliani are "pivoting instead to a goal that appears equally unattainable: delaying a final count long enough to cast doubt on Biden's decisive victory," The Washington Post reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Stalling certification long enough so GOP lawmakers can pick electors "appears impossible," since "it is against the law in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin law gives no role to the legislature in choosing presidential electors, and there is little public will in other states to pursue such a path," the Post reports. "Behind the thin legal gambit is what several Trump advisers say is his real goal: sowing doubt in Biden's victory with the president's most ardent supporters," raising money for his new PAC, and "keeping alive his prospects for another presidential run in 2024."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally