"Crossed the Line Too Far"... Even Trump Camp Distances Itself from 'Conspiracy Theory'

"Powell Is Not Part of the Trump Camp"
Trump Camp Distances Itself from Lawyer Raising Conspiracy Theories
Lost Credibility by Making Claims That Are Fundamentally Incorrect
NYT Urges, "Trump Presidential Advisors Should Be Distanced"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] As various 'conspiracy theories' regarding this year's U.S. presidential election run rampant and confusion intensifies, even Donald Trump's presidential campaign has distanced itself from those advocating such conspiracy theories. Although they initially claimed election fraud together, the Trump campaign drew a line, stating that these absurd claims were not from the campaign's legal team.

Attorney Sydney Powell
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 22nd (local time), the Trump presidential campaign issued a statement saying, "Sidney Powell is not a lawyer for the Trump campaign, nor is she President Trump's personal attorney."

Powell, who was the lawyer for Michael Flynn, the first National Security Advisor, participated in a press conference with the Trump campaign's legal team on the 19th. At this press conference, she raised suspicions regarding 'Dominion Voting Systems,' which supplied electronic voting machines to 30 U.S. states. She claimed that the software used by this company was developed under the direction of Hugo Chavez, the late Venezuelan president who died in 2013. She also asserted that if there had been no election fraud, President Trump would have won by millions of votes.

On the 21st, appearing on the conservative news outlet Newsmax, she claimed that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were involved in a conspiracy related to election fraud. Georgia was a Republican-leaning state, but in this election, candidate Biden won by about 12,000 votes. Powell particularly raised suspicions related to the Senate election, attacking Republican Governor Kemp and Secretary Raffensperger. As Powell's conspiracy theories began causing problems within the Republican Party, concerns arose internally. Chris Christie, former Republican Governor of New Jersey, called it a "national embarrassment."

Additionally, Powell claimed, without presenting any evidence, that many deceased individuals had voted in large numbers in this election.

As the situation escalated, close aides to President Trump conveyed that he should distance himself from Powell. The NYT cited sources saying that Trump's advisers communicated the need to keep distance from Powell. They also reported that even Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and legal counsel for the Trump campaign, realized that Powell had "gone too far."

As a result, Giuliani personally issued a statement drawing a line, saying Powell is not affiliated with the Trump campaign.

Nevertheless, Powell expressed her intention to continue advocating her claims in an interview with CBS. She said, "I understand the statements from Giuliani and others in the Trump campaign," but added, "I will continue to pursue lawsuits related to fraudulent votes."

The NYT reported that although the White House and Trump campaign have many legal experts, most of them refrain from commenting on election fraud, while some lawyers are actively promoting conspiracy theories. Both Giuliani and Powell have appeared on conservative media outlets raising election fraud conspiracy theories.

However, despite their claims, courts in various regions have not accepted the various election fraud conspiracy theories.