Continued Investigation by Special Counsel on Election Probe Centers on Fundraising and Voting Equipment Breaches – CNN Exclusive

Special Counsel Jack Smith continues to investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election, even a month after indicting former President Donald Trump for orchestrating a broad conspiracy to remain in power. The investigation is now widening, raising the possibility that others could face legal consequences. Smith’s focus has shifted to how money raised from baseless claims of voter fraud was used to fund attempts to breach voting equipment in several swing states won by President Joe Biden.

Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell has come under scrutiny in the investigation. Invoices obtained by CNN reveal that Powell’s non-profit organization, Defending the Republic, hired forensics firms that accessed voting equipment in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona. Powell faces criminal charges in Georgia for her alleged involvement in a multi-state plot to illegally access voting systems after the 2020 election. Witnesses in Smith’s investigation have been asked about Powell’s role and how her organization provided funding for the efforts to find evidence of voter fraud.

The investigation is also focusing on voting breaches that occurred after the 2020 election. Witnesses have been asked about conspiracy theories pushed by Powell, including claims that Dominion Voting Systems had ties to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. One witness, former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik, discussed how Trump allies accessed voting systems in Antrim County, Michigan. Witnesses have also been asked about Defending the Republic and its role in funding efforts to find evidence of voter fraud.

The investigation has revealed that Powell’s organization contributed millions of dollars towards the push to access voting equipment in key states. The group was used to retroactively back up baseless claims made by Trump’s lawyers in failed lawsuits challenging the election results. Smith’s team has also heard from witnesses about breaches in voting equipment in other states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan.

The investigation is meticulous and comprehensive, looking at all the ways in which democracy was attacked in 2020. Witnesses have provided information about individuals like Bill Bachenberg, who worked with Powell and other Trump lawyers to access voting systems in Pennsylvania and other states after the election. Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, has also spoken to investigators about efforts to access voting systems in Antrim County, Michigan.

Stefanie Lambert, who worked with Powell, has been charged for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to access voting machines in Michigan. She is also linked to a breach in Fulton County, Pennsylvania. Lambert received copies of voting system data from Fulton County during the breach. Bachenberg and Lambert are both named in a recent civil lawsuit related to the breach.

The investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith is ongoing, and while many details remain unclear, it is clear that prosecutors are meticulously examining the attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the role of individuals like Sidney Powell and her non-profit organization, Defending the Republic, in funding these efforts.

Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-09-05 09:21:00