November 4, 2024
Thousands of supporters of former president Donald Trump have been trained how to pressure local election officials to refuse to certify the vote ahead of November’s election, according to a new report from Lawfare.
David Clements, a former law professor who gained notoriety promoting Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 election being stolen from him, has hosted training sessions across the county, billed as a “Gideon 300” tour—named for the biblical figure who defeated a vast army with just 300 men.
Clements has been crisscrossing the country rallying Trump supporters to learn how to pressure local leaders to withhold certification of future elections. He pivoted to polling management training after leaving his university job following several disputes with administrators, as The Washington Post and Reuters reported in 2022.
His training events have involved simulations of county election board meetings, where Clements demonstrates tactics that can be used to confront local officials to get them to withhold certification. For example, by physically occupying the space, getting control of the microphone or by surrounding someone who is filibustering, to prevent their removal by law enforcement.
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Bugs Marlowe