The Defend Democracy Project (DDP) predicts threats against a fair presidential election

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Written by Tanya Terry

The Defend Democracy Project (DDP) recently hosted a virtual press briefing intended to brief the media on the threats they said that MAGA Republicans are planning and carrying out against a fair presidential election. During the briefing, top legal and political experts discussed potential threats to the 2024 Election.

The first speaker was Michael Podhorzer, chair of the Defend Democracy Project, a former political director of the AFL-CIO, and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He is a founder of the Analyst Institute and Research Collaborative (RC), and a co-founder of Working America and Catalist.

Podhorzer warned the media and America that controversies have already started and will be starting.

“Just remember like four years ago, they’re not about a real thing,” Podhorzer said. “They’re about creating a context to undo the election. What we know now about it is that their actions were the actions of people who knew they lost. What they do in the post-election will reflect evidence that they know they lost. It’s always about creating credibility ultimately for their decision.”

Podhorzer further predicted what Americans are about to go through. He said in order to get to a successful transfer of power January 6, the will of the people has to keep prevailing. He referred to this as step 1 in the path to the presidency.

“We all know, just like four years ago, that is is almost certain that we won’t know on Election Night who has won the Electoral College,” added Podhorzer. “But we almost certainly know that again for the third time the majority of Americans will have rejected Donald Trump and the idea of living under a MAGA agenda. We expect that to be called like it was four years ago by probably Friday or Saturday morning because of the time it takes for Pennsylvania to county. In terms of the House, if it’s really close, we won’t know until the following week because California, New York absentee procedures won’t let close races be called until that following week.”

Podhorzer then predicted “a mad rash of litigation all with the intent of preventing governors from certifying the results of their election by December 11. A new federal law that says states must certify their slate of presidential electoral votes by that date, being  about five weeks after Election Day.

“So, the Trump Playbook is to prevent certification so that the Robert’s Court can say that state loses its electoral vote.”

According to Podhorzer there will then be six days when there will be even more litigation before the vote goes to Congress.

At Donald Trump’s event at Madison Square Garden, the former president said, while appearing to point at the House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson: “He and I have a secret. We’ll tell you what it is when the race is over.”

The New York Times then reported on one possible scenario Trump may have been referring to: “It is a scenario in which Mr. Johnson, who worked with Mr. Trump to undermine the 2020 election results would again be in cahoots with the former president to steal the election and stop the certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2025, should Vice President Kamala Harris win.”

Podhorzer, however, stated: “I would argue that that is not the point of danger here.  If Harris arrives on January 6 or January 7 with the electoral votes, now with all that having been litigated by the Roberts Court – if that is the case – there is not going to be the will in Congress to get every single Republican in the House and Senate to go along with that.”

Another speaker at the recent virtual press briefing, Olivia Troye, previously served as a Special Advisor, Homeland Security and Counterterrorism to Vice President Mike Pence (2018-2020). She also served at the Energy Department’s National Counterterrorism Center and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis under President George W. Bush.

Troye stressed that traditionally people who have served in roles she has have not engaged in partisan politics. Yet she added: “…in this moment, everything matters.”

“As someone who was in those rooms that watched the growing disregard for truth, accountability that still continues today, I’m asking you recognize the seriousness…This isn’t hyperbole. This is about preserving the values and the institutions that have allowed us to prosper for over two centuries. It’s about the rule of law, our Constitution and the people who work very hard every day to uphold it.”

Troye urged everyone to vote like their democracy depends on it and said “it truly does.”

Ambassador Norman Eisen (ret.) served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee majority during the first impeachment and trial of President Trump. Eisen has been recognized as one of the leading legal analysts on the Trump trials. From 2009 to 2011, Eisen worked in the White House as special counsel and special assistant to the president for ethics and government reform.

Eisen said: “the Big Lie of 2024 is noncitizens who are reportedly participating- ineligible immigrant voters participating in the system. We’ve seen that in a series of messages that were brought as insensibly by Donald Trump and his followers throughout this election.”

“I think it’s really important not just for the media, but for everyone to not to get lost in all the details of the different disinformation and lost in cases…and remember, like Thomas Jefferson the point of this is to establish the consent of the government,” stated Podhorzer. “That’s why we have elections – so that who governs us is legitimate by that standard. Getting caught up, like it’s another episode of Law & Order….takes us away from what’s actually democratic.”