Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump meets with Pennsylvania Republican who supports bogus audit of election results

John Bowden
Thursday 03 June 2021 14:44 EDT
Comments
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Former President Donald Trump has reportedly met with a Pennsylvania lawmaker who has joined calls for his state to undertake an audit of the state’s 2020 election results similar to the widely-criticized effort in Arizona.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Mr Trump met with Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano, a top supporter of the former president’s baseless election fraud conspiracies, at his Trump Tower office in New York.

The Independent has reached out for comment from the former president’s office. Mr Mastriano was engulfed in controversy earlier this year and faced calls for his resignation after he attended Mr Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington DC on the day of the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.

His campaign was revealed to have spent thousands on charter buses, which he used to ferry supporters to the nation’s capital ahead of the attack that left members of Congress fearing for their lives and hiding in secure areas.

Mr Mastriano recently joined a group of Pennsylvania state Republican lawmakers who traveled to Arizona to meet with GOP officials involved in that state’s audit of Maricopa County’s results, a widely criticized effort that has led to turmoil between the state Senate and the county’s Board of Supervisors.

“I’m not about overturning anything,” he said Wednesday during his visit to Phoenix, according to The Wall Street Journal. “I’m just trying to find out what went right, what went wrong, and how do we have better elections in the future?”

The former president has reportedly continued to take an active interest in efforts to overturn his election defeat in recent months, and was reported by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman this week to be telling supporters that he could be “reinstated” as president by August.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in