Donald Trump has taken his political campaign to a new level as the former president steers his legal team towards a court battle in what appears to be a preview of emerging criminal trials related to his outgoing administration. Trump’s legal experts as well as his top aides have filed a petition in the US District Court of the District of Columbia asking for a hearing on the validity of the 2020 election results.
The petition alleges that “hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania ballots were illegally processed and counted without Republican observers present.” The legal team, headed by former Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani, claims Trump’s ability to receive due process and a fair opportunity to dispute the election results has been denied and the court should toss out millions of ballots affecting the outcome of the election.
The lawsuit is expected to be dismissed by the court as most legal experts believe it is too late in the timeline for the case to be meaningful. However, the legal case appears to be focusing more on setting the stage for upcoming criminal or civil proceedings against former President Trump. This could very well be the opening salvo in what could be a long and gaping legal rift between the former commander in chief and the justice system.
The election dispute has already created a large and vociferous section of Trump supporters who are now actively lobbying and preparing to defend their former leader from any legal rulings or prosecutions. If criminal proceedings are to emerge against Trump, the legal fight is sure to be days of rioting, rallies, and heated campaigning from the Trump-side of the aisle. Only time will tell how much validity the court will actually give to this particular challenge of the results,ultimately offering a preview of what kind of criminal ordeal may be on the way.
