Events
5 events in this investigation
The Big Lie: 2020 Election Fraud Claims
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61 events from 2020 to 2023
The Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference took place at the landscaping company's location at 7347 State Road in northeast Philadelphia.
Fox News aired false claims about Smartmatic's technology. Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox, which went to trial.
Trump considered appointing Jeffrey Clark as Acting Attorney General so Clark could send a letter to Georgia falsely claiming the DOJ had found election irregularities. The scheme was only stopped when DOJ leadership threatened mass resignations.
OAN broadcast debunked claims about Dominion voting machines. Dominion sued OAN for defamation as part of its broader legal campaign to hold media outlets accountable for spreading false claims.
Powell falsely claimed Smartmatic technology was connected to Venezuelan vote-rigging — a conspiracy theory with no basis in fact.
Giuliani held a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping where he made false claims of voter fraud. Major networks called the election for Biden during the event.
As White House Chief of Staff, Meadows coordinated Trump's pressure campaigns to overturn the election, including participating in the Raffensperger phone call. He was indicted in the Georgia RICO case.
Chesebro designed the fake electors scheme for Trump, creating fraudulent slates of electors in states Biden won. He pleaded guilty in the Georgia RICO case.
Trump initially embraced Sidney Powell as part of his legal team. Powell filed "Kraken" lawsuits claiming massive voter fraud through voting machines — all of which were dismissed. Trump later distanced himself from Powell after her claims became too extreme even for his team.
Lindell was one of the most prolific promoters of Trump's election fraud claims, spending millions of his own money on symposiums and films promoting debunked voting machine conspiracies.
Giuliani falsely accused Shaye Moss of election fraud alongside her mother Ruby Freeman. The defamation verdict included damages for Moss, whose emotional testimony about the impact became one of the most powerful moments of the J6 hearings.
Byrne funded election fraud investigations and attended a contentious December 2020 White House meeting where seizing voting machines was discussed.
Lin Wood filed election lawsuits on behalf of pro-Trump interests, including challenges in Georgia. All lawsuits were dismissed for lack of evidence.
Fox News amplified Trump's false election fraud claims despite internal communications showing hosts knew the claims were untrue. The network continued airing the claims to retain viewers who were leaving for more right-wing outlets.
Jenna Ellis served as a senior legal advisor on Trump's post-election team. She later pleaded guilty in the Georgia RICO case and admitted she "failed in her duties as a lawyer."
OAN was one of the most aggressive promoters of Trump's election fraud claims, airing conspiracy theories that even Fox News declined to broadcast. Trump publicly praised OAN for its coverage.
Trump retained Giuliani as his personal attorney to lead legal challenges to the 2020 election results. Giuliani filed numerous lawsuits and held press conferences promoting debunked fraud claims, all of which failed in court.
Eastman and Chesebro worked together to develop the fake electors scheme. Chesebro devised the operational plan to create fraudulent elector slates while Eastman provided the constitutional theory for Pence to use them.
As Trump's own Attorney General, Barr publicly stated the DOJ found no evidence of widespread fraud sufficient to change the election outcome — directly contradicting Trump's central claim. Barr resigned shortly after.
Ruby Freeman worked as a temporary election worker in Fulton County, processing ballots in the counting facility. Her routine work was twisted into a false conspiracy theory.
As a White House advisor, Navarro authored the debunked "Navarro Report" which collected previously disproven fraud claims. He was convicted of contempt of Congress.
Powell made false claims that Dominion machines were designed by Venezuelans to flip votes. Every claim was debunked by audits and rejected by courts. Dominion sued Powell for defamation.
Shaye Moss was an election worker in Fulton County. She was falsely targeted alongside her mother Ruby Freeman with conspiracy theories about ballot fraud.
Trump embraced and amplified the Stop the Steal movement, promoting the false claim that the election was stolen. He spoke at the January 6 rally organized by Stop the Steal allies.
Eastman authored a memo for Trump arguing Vice President Pence could reject certified electors — a theory rejected by virtually all constitutional scholars. Eastman was disbarred for his role in the scheme.
Fox News aired debunked claims about Dominion machines despite internal communications showing hosts and executives knew the claims were false. Dominion sued and Fox settled for $787.5 million — the largest media defamation settlement in US history.
Alex Jones used Infowars to amplify Trump's false election fraud claims to his millions of followers, contributing to the radicalization that culminated in January 6.
Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss were both falsely accused of election fraud. They testified together about the devastating impact of the false accusations on their lives and family.
Giuliani promoted debunked conspiracy theories about Dominion machines on television and in court filings. Dominion sued Giuliani for defamation, seeking $1.3 billion in damages.
Giuliani falsely and repeatedly accused Ruby Freeman of committing election fraud, leading to death threats and harassment against her. He was found liable for defamation and ordered to pay $148 million in damages.
Byrne financially supported Powell's election fraud efforts and attended the December 2020 White House meeting alongside her where appointing Powell as special counsel was discussed.
Lindell made extensive false claims about Dominion machines on his media platforms. Dominion sued Lindell and MyPillow for $1.3 billion. Lindell offered a $5 million "prove me wrong" challenge that was won by a cybersecurity expert, but Lindell refused to pay.
Cyber Ninjas was hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to conduct the Maricopa County "audit." Despite conspiracy-theory-driven methods like searching for bamboo fibers, their final report confirmed Biden's victory.
The Cyber Ninjas audit targeted Maricopa County's 2.1 million ballots but ultimately confirmed Biden won the county. The Republican-led county Board of Supervisors defended their election procedures.
Trump called Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, pressuring him to "find 11,780 votes." Raffensperger refused, and the recorded call became key evidence in Trump's Georgia indictment.
Raffensperger received Trump's pressure call and refused to comply, refuting Trump's false claims about fraud in real time. His office recorded the call and later released it to the public.
Stop the Steal organizers promoted and coordinated the January 6 rally that preceded the Capitol attack. Social media posts and organizing efforts directly connected the movement to the events of that day.
The January 6 Committee conducted a comprehensive investigation into the Capitol attack, interviewing over 1,000 witnesses and holding 10 public hearings. Its final report recommended criminal charges against Trump.
The January 6, 2021 attack took place at the US Capitol Building, causing over $30 million in damage and resulting in the injury of approximately 140 police officers.
Bannon's "War Room" podcast was a central hub for promoting January 6 organizing. He predicted on his podcast the day before that "all hell is going to break loose tomorrow." He was convicted of contempt of Congress for defying the J6 Committee subpoena.
Trump publicly and privately pressured Pence to reject certified Electoral College votes on January 6. Pence refused, stating he had no constitutional authority to do so. Trump's pressure continued even as the Capitol was under attack.
Flynn promoted the January 6 rally and spoke at earlier Stop the Steal events. He had previously called for Trump to declare martial law to seize voting machines and rerun the election.
Eastman directly pressured Pence to use the fake electors to reject certified results on January 6. Pence's counsel rejected Eastman's theory, and Pence certified the legitimate results.
Alex Jones was present at the January 6 rally, helped organize it, and used his Infowars platform to promote attendance. He provided a $50,000 donation from his company to support the rally.
Trump made the now-infamous phone call to Georgia's Secretary of State, pressuring him to "find" exactly enough votes to overturn Biden's victory. The call was recorded and became central evidence in his indictment.
Pence was inside the Capitol during the attack, evacuated by Secret Service as the mob breached the building chanting "Hang Mike Pence." He refused to leave the Capitol complex and returned to certify the election results that evening.
Cheney served as Vice Chair of the January 6 Committee, becoming its most prominent Republican voice. She sacrificed her political career to hold Trump accountable, losing her 2022 primary.
Trump held a rally near the Capitol on January 6 and told supporters to "fight like hell" and march to the Capitol. He was impeached for incitement and indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith for his role in the events leading to the attack.
Meadows participated in the Trump-Raffensperger phone call, helping arrange it and joining the conversation. His involvement was cited in his Georgia RICO indictment.
Moss provided powerful testimony to the January 6 Committee about the devastating personal impact of being falsely accused of election fraud by Trump and Giuliani.
True the Vote's debunked "2000 Mules" film was promoted by Trump at screenings. The film's methodology was rejected by experts, and its distributor later apologized and pulled the film.
Kari Lake filed multiple lawsuits challenging election procedures in Maricopa County, all of which were dismissed by Arizona courts for lack of evidence.
Willis brought the RICO case in Fulton County Superior Court, making the county a focal point of election-related legal proceedings.
Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on four federal counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. Smith resigned after Trump won the 2024 election.
DA Fani Willis brought a RICO case against Trump and 18 co-defendants in Fulton County, Georgia, for their efforts to overturn the state's 2020 election results.
Willis indicted Ellis in the Georgia RICO case. Ellis pleaded guilty and tearfully admitted she failed in her duties as a lawyer.
Fox News settled Dominion's defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million on the eve of trial. Internal discovery had revealed Fox hosts privately called the fraud claims "insane" while continuing to broadcast them.
Willis indicted Powell in the Georgia RICO case. Powell pleaded guilty to reduced charges and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution.
Willis indicted Chesebro in the Georgia RICO case. Chesebro pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution.
Dominion Voting Systems won a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News, vindicating the company against false claims that its machines were designed to rig elections.
Willis indicted Giuliani in the Georgia RICO case for his role in promoting false election claims and pressuring Georgia officials.
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Dominion v. Fox News $787M Settlement
Legal Proceedings
In April 2023, Fox News settled Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million — the largest known media defamation settlement in US history. During pre-trial discovery, internal Fox communications revealed that hosts like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham privately dismissed the election fraud claims as "ludicrous," "insane," and "really crazy" while continuing to air them. Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch admitted under oath that some Fox hosts "endorsed" the false claims. Fox settled on the eve of trial without admitting wrongdoing or airing an apology.
2 connectionsFour Seasons Total Landscaping Press Conference
Press Conferences
On November 7, 2020, Trump's legal team held a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a small landscaping business in northeast Philadelphia, rather than the Four Seasons Hotel — apparently due to a booking error. Rudy Giuliani made false claims of voter fraud while standing in the parking lot between a crematorium and an adult bookstore. The event became a cultural symbol of the disorganization and absurdity of the post-election legal effort. Major news networks called the election for Biden during the press conference.
2 connectionsJanuary 6 Capitol Attack
Attacks & Violence
On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol while Congress was certifying the Electoral College results. The attack followed a rally where Trump told supporters to "fight like hell" and march to the Capitol. Five people died in connection with the attack, approximately 140 police officers were injured, and over 1,200 people were subsequently charged with federal crimes. The attack temporarily halted the certification but Congress reconvened and certified Biden's victory early the next morning.
8 connectionsMaricopa County "Audit" by Cyber Ninjas
Investigations & Audits
In 2021, Arizona Senate Republicans hired Cyber Ninjas, a firm with no election audit experience, to conduct a "forensic audit" of Maricopa County's 2.1 million ballots. The chaotic process involved searching for bamboo fibers (based on a conspiracy theory about ballots from Asia) and examining ballots under UV light. After months of delays and controversies over methodology, the final report actually found Biden gained 360 more votes than the official count. The audit inadvertently reinforced the legitimacy of the original results.
2 connectionsTrump-Raffensperger Phone Call
Pressure Campaigns
On January 2, 2021, Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and pressured him to "find 11,780 votes" — one more than Biden's margin of victory in the state. The hour-long call was recorded by Raffensperger's office and published by The Washington Post. During the call, Trump made multiple false claims about the election that Raffensperger's team refuted in real time. The call became central evidence in the Fulton County RICO indictment.
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