Jacob Ogles
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting a Texas lawsuit challenging four states’ election results.
The Republican Cabinet member released a statement on the decision that didn’t speak to the argument presented. Rather, Moody suggested the high court needed to address concerns for the sake of democracy.
“The integrity and resolution of the 2020 election is of paramount performance,” Moody said. “The United States Supreme Court should weigh the legal arguments of the Texas motion and all pending matters so that Americans can be assured the election was fairly reviewed and decided.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a suit demanding election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin be invalidated. Democrat Joe Biden won all four states, earning a total 62 electoral votes. Invalidating the results would cut Biden’s tally to 244 electoral votes, short of the 270 required to win the race for President, which would then toss the decision on a victor to Congress.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he won the election, and he joined a challenge of Pennsylvania results. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has made arguments to Republican legislators in the battleground states that widespread fraud tainted the election results, though courts have rejected any claims.
A total of 17 states filed an amicus brief in support of the suit, including Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. All of those states were won by Trump.
The brief itself makes more direct accusations than Moody’s statement, supporting the argument that elections were fraudulent because of actions taken by elections officials without explicit endorsement from their respective Legislatures.
“Our system of federalism relies on separation of powers to preserve liberty at every level of government, and the separation of powers in the Electors Clause is no exception,” the brief reads. “The States have a strong interest in preserving the proper roles of state legislatures in the administration of federal elections, and thus safeguarding the individual liberty of their citizens.”
The brief states there’s a national interest in the outcome of those elections because “President and Vice President of the United States are the only elected officials who represent all the voters in the nation.”
Most allegations cited by Trump supporters have been recanted or debunked.
Florida joined the amicus brief Wednesday shortly after the final certified results of the election were officially filed and a day after the so-called “safe harbor” deadline for challenging state results. Paxton’s suit was filed on Tuesday, the safe harbor deadline.
Wednesday also marks 36 days since Election Day. That marks an historic time frame, as it was the same point at which Vice President Al Gore in 2000 conceded that year’s election to Republican George W. Bush. That came after Florida’s vote came under scrutiny and a statewide recount of its votes for President was conducted. Bush won the state’s electoral votes after winning Florida by 537 votes.
Biden won Georgia by 12,670 votes, Wisconsin by 20,682, Pennsylvania by 61,660 and Michigan by 154,188 votes.
The move by the Republican group of Attorneys General drew a bipartisan rebuke from other Attorneys General.
“With all due respect, Texas Attorney General is constitutionally, legally and factually wrong about Georgia,” said a spokesperson for Chris Carr, Attorney General for Georgia.
Carr chairs the Republican Attorneys General Association, but the organization, which has a significant number of members signed on to the same brief as Moody, stressed those remarks came through Carr’s state office, not the RAGA.
Democratic Attorneys General in the three other states in question issued a joint statement more strongly condemning the suit.
“These insignificant attempts to disregard the will of the people in our three states mislead the public and tear at the fabric of our Constitution. The people in our states voted. Their votes were counted—in some cases multiple times. And the results have been certified,” the joint statement reads. “It’s well past time for the President and our fellow states and elected officials to stop misleading the public about this year’s election and to acknowledge that the results certified in our states reflect the decisions made by the voters in a free, fair, and secure election.”
Democratic Attorneys General Association co-chairs Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Aaron Ford of Nevada both also leveled criticism at the legal action.
“Ken Paxton continues to do disservice to the critical work we do as state Attorneys General,” the two said in a statement. “This latest lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General, which seeks to undermine the will of voters in states that are not Texas and that will have absolutely no impact on the outcome of the election, is meritless and desperate.”
And Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat on the state Cabinet, called Moody out in particular.
“It’s embarrassing to the integrity of our democracy and resolution of this election,” Fried said. “It’s disappointing, but predictable, that Florida’s Attorney General isn’t acting in the interest of the people she was elected to serve, but in self-interest to a president who lost an election and cannot face the reality of his defeat.”
16 comments
S B ANTHONY
December 9, 2020 at 3:44 pm
Ashley Moody, you’re a treasonist. You will not overturn
a fair and valid election of a Democratic president, no matter
how pathetically you kiss Donald Trump’s fat ass.
Pablo
December 9, 2020 at 4:32 pm
I will always remember this shameful waste of our precious tax money when state republicans want to cry about not having funds for something that would actually benefit Floridians.
Sonja Fitch
December 9, 2020 at 5:03 pm
Omg you crazy lady. Omg. Paranoid delusional racist sexist sociopath is now Florida ag! We have folks dying every day and you are wasting tax dollars for this bs! Moody you have now joined the Duffus Desantis, Rubio goptrump cult leaders willingly slaughtering Floridians! Get out!
Sonja Fitch
December 9, 2020 at 5:05 pm
Oh yeah Moody the fool in Texas is pushing this show so Trump will pardon him. Damn there are no Republicans in Florida! Only RINOs and goptrump death cult members!
Valerie Sprieser
December 9, 2020 at 6:33 pm
Moody your going to ruin your career for signing on to this ridiculous suit! Professor Tribe said it won’t even get in the door and will get a big fat DENIED stamped on it!
Good luck finding another job a a law firm! They will laugh out you right out the door! Time to find a new profession your No lawyer!
Ocean Joe
December 9, 2020 at 7:37 pm
Moody wants to be the Katherine Harris of 2020.
Palmer Tom
December 9, 2020 at 9:11 pm
How embarrassing for Florida.
Tjb
December 9, 2020 at 10:59 pm
Why is Ashley Moody humiliating herself and the Florida State Attorney office with the filing of a frivolous and baseless brief? As Nikki Fried and Palmer Tom have stated, it is embarrassing, but more sorrowfully, Moody’s action erodes our faith in democracy. It is shameful.
Pedro
December 10, 2020 at 3:15 am
This lawsuit is outrageous. It is a shameless attempt to steal the election for Donald Trump. Thank God, this effort will fail! As a Floridian, I am embarrassed that Ashley Moody would sign Florida on to this. We must vote her out in two years. We also have to vote out Governor DeSantis and all the other Republican enablers of Trump, like Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott. They are exhibiting a very cowardly and complicit silence regarding Trump’s attempts to steal this election. Shame on them! We need profiles in courage from the Republicans, not cowardly, shameless silence regarding what is happening.
george dagnesses
December 10, 2020 at 8:57 am
Simply disgusting let’s not forget.
Eddy Fernandez
December 10, 2020 at 10:16 am
It is sad this waste of $$$$ , but she must owe the president some favors. Its not about the people for some, its about themselves, so sad!!!
Dan
December 10, 2020 at 11:48 am
She is acting in my interest! I full support the Amicus and would love if Florida took it one step further and added our full weight to the lawsuit.
Pete Melotti
December 10, 2020 at 4:20 pm
As a tax paying Floridian I object to her spending time, money, and resources trying to interfere with the constitution of how other states handle their elections. She owes her resources to Florida not Trump, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin or Georgia. She should be reprimanded for this obvious non partisan involvement. She represents the people of Florida. What a shame!
Victor Aparicio
December 10, 2020 at 10:24 pm
Ashley Moody is a republican dumb cu*nt who belongs locked up in prison. And you know what happens to pretty female lawyers in prison.
Karen
December 11, 2020 at 9:26 am
You and your nine Florida congressmen are a disgrace to the people of Florida who voted for Joe Biden. The only reason trump won in Florida, is because of the lies you spread in news in Miami area. The poor Latins and Hispanics were fed lies ………dictator, socialist, pedifile. Other states with minorities from other countries, didn’t receive the lies and they voted for Biden. You and your cohorts are despicable.
Puffey Gator
December 11, 2020 at 1:24 pm
Co conspirator in an attempted coup….Shame on you ..Your Dad and I were at Florida Law together …He knows better from his training to allow you as an attorney to disgrace our profession.Have you no decency at long last!
Comments are closed.