WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Donald Trump faced a new setback yesterday in his desperate bid to overturn the U.S. election as a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by his campaign that sought to throw out millions of votes in Pennsylvania.
U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Brann ruled that Trump’s campaign had failed to demonstrate there had been widespread voting fraud in the Nov. 3 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
“This Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations,” Brann wrote.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, sought to stop officials from certifying Biden’s victory in the state, arguing that some counties wrongly allowed voters to fix errors on their mail ballots.
Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit is one of dozens filed by Trump and his Republican allies in the aftermath of the election. They are also seeking to invalidate or change the results through recounts and direct pressure on lawmakers in several states.
Yesterday, the Republican National Committee and the Michigan Republican Party wrote to the state board of canvassers asking it to adjourn for 14 days to allow for an audit of ballots in Wayne County, which includes the majority-Black city of Detroit. The letter cited allegations of “irregularities” that have not been substantiated.
Asked to respond, a spokesperson for the Department of State noted that Michigan law does not allow for audits before certification – due to take place on Monday – and said: “Judges initially appointed by both Republicans and Democrats have found allegations of widespread fraud to be wholly meritless.”
Two leading Republican lawmakers from Michigan who came to Washington at Trump’s behest said after meeting him on Friday that they had no information that would change the outcome of the election in the state.
But Trump said on Saturday the media were misreading the statement, in which the pair also said they had faith in a review being conducted by Michigan lawmakers.
“Massive voter fraud will be shown!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Trump’s efforts, which critics call an unprecedented push by a sitting president to subvert the will of voters, have met with little success in the courtroom or on the ground.
A manual recount and audit in Georgia confirmed Biden on Friday as the winner in the southern state, the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in nearly three decades.
The Trump campaign now has two business days to request a recount in Georgia. Trump’s legal team has already said it plans a lawsuit in the state, but has not provided specifics.
Trump’s accusations have continued to inflame his hard-core Republican base.
The campaign has not provided evidence for its claims of widespread and coordinated electoral fraud.
The General Services Administration, run by a Trump appointee, has not recognized Biden’s victory, preventing his team from gaining access to government office space and funding normally provided to an incoming administration ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Critics say the delay and Trump’s refusal to concede have serious implications for national security and the fight against the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 255,000 Americans.