FAILING UPWARD

Lawyer Who Backed Up Trump’s 2020 Lies Lands Federal Election Agency Adviser Role

Cleta Mitchell, known for her role in Trump’s infamous Georgia phone call, has reportedly been given a seat on federal Election Assistance Commission’s board of advisers.

One of the lawyers who helped Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat has reportedly landed a seat on federal Election Assistance Commission’s board of advisers. Attorney Cleta Mitchell was on the infamous January conference call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger when the president demanded that Raffensperger “find 11,780 votes” to reverse his defeat. After the recording of her backing Trump on that call was released, Mitchell resigned her position as a partner at her law firm. However, according to Jessica Huseman, the editorial director of Votebeat, Mitchell has now been named to the board of advisors for the Election Assistance Commission—a federal agency that supports election officials to make sure their elections are secure and accurate. In an ambiguous statement that didn’t name Mitchell, the EAC said it “does not make or approve appointments to the 35-member Board of Advisors... Board members are directly appointed by a wide variety of organizations.”