DOJ notes reveal Trump ordered officials: "Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me"
The House Oversight Committee released handwritten notes from former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue detailing a December 27, 2020, call with Trump. In the call, Trump pressured DOJ officials to declare the election invalid despite knowing there was no evidence of widespread fraud. "Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen," Trump instructed, providing smoking-gun evidence of his attempt to weaponize the Justice Department to overturn the results.
“Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen.” — Handwritten notes by Richard Donoghue of Dec 27, 2020 call Quote verified against source
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryThe Smoking Gun Order Acting Deputy AG Richard Donoghue's handwritten notes captured Trump ordering DOJ to 'just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen.' This documented Trump explicitly asking law enforcement to lie so he could use their statement to overturn the election. The Constitutional Crime This wasn't advocacy or rhetoric--it was a president ordering federal law enforcement to issue a fraudulent statement as part of a coup. Donoghue and Rosen refused. Had they complied, DOJ would have provided the pretext for Trump to seize power. Connection to Jan 6 This pressure campaign occurred December 27, 2020--10 days before the attack. When DOJ refused to lie, Trump had to rely on the mob instead. The notes would later become central evidence in Jack Smith's indictment.