Trump campaign files new suit in Nevada, loses Georgia and Michigan challenges

Donald Trump. File photo: Flickr/Gage Skidmore

Nov. 6 (UPI) — President Donald Trump’s campaign filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to stop the counting of votes in Clark County, Nev. — and lost challenges in Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Campaign officials announced the Nevada lawsuit in Las Vegas.

Trump is trailing in the Nevada ballot count to former Vice President Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes, according to an update from state officials Thursday. At stake is the state’s six electoral votes.

“We warned for the last few weeks, where we could end up in a situation where Nevada decides the presidency. We warned that Democrats changed this election system, they gave us mail-in ballots,” said Adam Lexalt, Nevada’s former attorney general and Trump’s state campaign chair.

The suit seeks to block votes of “thousands of people” who moved out of Clark County during the pandemic, Lexalt said. He said thousands of mail ballots were found in trash cans and apartment buildings, but provided no evidence.

“We are asking for emergency relief … injunctive relief. We’re asking a judge due to all of these irregularities to stop the counting of improper votes.”

Richard Grennell, former acting national intelligence chief, claimed that non-residents have voted. Nevada has a minimum 30-day residency requirement to vote.

In Pennsylvania, two cases regarding observation of ballot counting were decided Thursday. a federal judge ruled Thursday evening that Republican observers were being treated fairly when they asked to watch ballot canvassing in Philadelphia.

Judge Paul Diamond of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed an emergency motion and ruled that Republican observers were being treated fairly when they asked to watch ballot canvassing in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile Commonwealth Court Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon on Thursday reversed a lower-court decision and allowed poll watchers to be permitted to observe “all aspects of the canvassing process,” as long as observers from both parties stayed 6 feet from counters and followed other COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks.

In Georgia, a Chatham County Superior Court judge rejected a challenge from Trump campaign and Georgia’s GOP to halt the counting of ballots in Savannah.

The campaign had raised concerns about whether Chatham County officials were following Georgia law requiring any ballot arriving after 7 p.m. on Election Day to be void.

After hearing a pair of Republican election watchers, who raised the concerns about 53 ballots without providing any evidence, Judge James F. Bass dismissed the case.

Chatham County had more than 17,000 absentee ballots to count as of Thursday morning, with most votes there leaning toward Biden.

In Georgia, the election remains too close to call with Trump having a lead of about 13,000 votes, according a tally Thursday afternoon.

In Michigan, a Court of Claims judge said she plans to deny a Trump campaign request to stop counting ballots until more poll challengers can observe.

Judge Cynthia Stephens said she told local election officials to give access to poll challengers and those officials were not listed in the complaint. She also cited the fact that the counting was almost complete.

Stephens said she would issue a written order by Friday afternoon.

The Michigan race has been called for Biden.

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