Trump allies considered enlisting armed contractors and US Marshals to seize 2020 voting machines, report says

A worker returns voting machines to storage in November 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.

John Bazemore/AP Photo

• Trump allies considered enlisting armed private contractors to seize voting machines, per the Los Angeles Times.
• The allies also explored using US Marshals to help inspect election data, the paper said.
• The letter, sent in November 2020, is believed to be an early iteration of a draft executive order.

Allies of former President Donald Trump considered enlisting armed private contractors to seize voting machines and election data after the 2020 election, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The report focuses on a previously undisclosed "authorizing letter" and accompanying emails that were sent on November 21, 2020, from those on the fringes of Trump's political circle, the paper reported.

The letter appears to be an early iteration of a draft executive order presented to then-President Trump on December 18, 2020, the LA Times said. The proposed executive order was never enacted, but the LA Times said it is now believed to be in the possession of the January 6 House committee.

According to a review of the letter by the LA Times, the proposed executive order would have granted authority to three third-party companies to seize all election machines and data at will.

The paper said it would have also given these companies and their subcontractors the power to research, obtain, and store offsite "all data and/or code regarding US election fraud, election manipulation, voter fraud, election interference, voter eligibility, and election systems wherever it resides."

The LA Times reported that the letter specified that the order would mean that US Marshals Service could assist the efforts to inspect and analyze election data. It would enlist armed private contractors because these investigations would likely occur under "hostile conditions," the letter said. They would be "granted the authority to be armed when conducting these investigations."

The letter was sent via email by Andrew Whitney, a British technology entrepreneur, who became a Trump ally after seeking his support for the unproven COVID-19 cure Oleandrin, the LA Times reported. 

It was sent to cybersecurity expert Jim Penrose and the chief executive of Cyber Ninjas, Doug Logan, the paper said

According to the LA Times, Penrose worked for weeks after the 2020 election with those who sought to overturn the election, including Sidney Powell, Patrick Byrne, and Michael Flynn. 

Cyber Ninjas was the company behind the controversial 2020 election audit in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Two hours later, pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood was sent a separate message, the paper reported. The subject line was "suggested language for 'cover letter,'" the paper said.

Wood, who has promoted election fraud conspiracy theories, told the LA Times: "I don't deny receiving it, but I didn't do anything with it. I never reviewed or revised any memo that would have dealt with the confiscation of machines or an executive order for Donald Trump. Of that I am certain."

The idea of obtaining access to election machine data to look for fraud via executive orders was floated several times after the election, several people involved told the LA Times.

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