Politics Fact check: Trump lawyer Sidney Powell falsely stated he won election 'by a landslide'

23:05 24 november 2020

23:05 24 november 2020 Source: usatoday.com

Fact check: What's true and what's false about the 2020 election

False claims about the election process are spreading online in wake of the 2020 election. Here's a list of recent fact-checks.Fact check: Pennsylvania voters exposed to COVID-19 can still vote

The claim: Sidney Powell said Trump won by a landslide

Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie smiling and looking at the camera: President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the election in the briefing room of the White House, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Washington.

According to a viral meme quoting one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, he won the election “by a landslide.” While Sidney Powell's statement is not true, she is correctly quoted.

“We are not going to be intimidated. We are not going to back down. We are going to clean this mess up. President Trump won by a landslide and we are going to prove it. We are going to reclaim the United States of America,” reads a Facebook meme.

Dominion says it is 'impossible' for their machines to switch votes

Michael Steel appeared on Fox News' America's News HQ on Sunday to debunk accusations made by attorneys working for the Trump campaign, who have laid unfounded claims of voter fraud.Michael Steel appeared on Fox News’ America’s News HQ on Sunday to debunk accusations made by attorneys working for the Trump campaign, who laid unfounded claims of voter fraud in a press conference earlier this week that included allegations Dominion had ties to Venezuela.

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Christian social media personality Elizabeth Johnston posted the meme quoting Powell on Nov. 19.

Fact check: Claim that voting noncitizens affected 2020 election outcome is unverified

“This woman is fire! Surround her with prayer and proclaim the promises of Psalm 91 over her. Her actions may leave a permanent footprint in our Republic and turn the course of this election around,” Johnston captioned the meme.

Johnston’s logos appears below Powell’s quote.

Other Trump fans quickly jumped on board, posting memes claiming Trump's victory that matched Powell's "landslide" rhetoric.

Neither Powell nor Johnston has responded to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Election 2020 live updates: Trump legal team distances itself from lawyer Sidney Powell, Biden taps Blinken as secretary of state

Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis distanced themselves from Trump team lawyer Sidney Powell. Joe Biden will tap Antony Blinken as secretary of state.Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on the election and the transition.

Fact check: What's true and what's false about the 2020 election

Meme correctly quotes Powell at press conference

C-SPAN footage shows Powell made the false statement 52 minutes into a press conference about the Trump campaign’s election legal challenges. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, also spoke at the Nov. 19 event.

The meme is close to accurate in quoting Powell. Her full quote is: "We are not going to be intimidated. We are not going to back down. We are going to clean this mess up now. President Trump won by a landslide. We are going to prove it. And we are going to reclaim the United States of America for the people who vote for freedom."

She closed with the statement after making several unsubstantiated claims that Dominion Voting Systems, whose vote-counting software used by many states, had deleted votes for Trump.

USA TODAY has previously debunked false claims that Dominion Voting Systems illegally produced a Biden victory.

For Trump, defections and gaffes hamper 2020 election court challenges

Over the three weeks since the election, President Trump's legal bid to challenge the results has unfolded in unpredictable ways with a revolving cast of characters. To date, the Trump campaign and its allies have lost a succession of legal challenges totaling at least 30 adverse rulings. Of the 19 lawsuits the Trump legal team has brought across five states, 17 of the cases have been denied, dismissed or withdrawn, leaving both his supporters and critics to question whether the post-election legal effort has been worthwhile.

Later on Nov. 19, the Republican National Committee shared a clip of Powell’s statement on Twitter where it received more than 100,000 likes, 50,000 retweets and 3.8 million views.

Fact check: False claim that deceased Michigan man voted in 2020

No evidence to support Powell's claim

Since the election, Powell — who represented Michael Flynn after he was indicted for lying to the FBI about his communications with a Russian ambassador — has touted many baseless allegations about election corruption.

Powell found herself at odds with Fox News host Tucker Carlson who criticized her for failing to provide supporting evidence during his Nov. 19 show.

"When we checked with others around the Trump campaign, people in positions of authority, they told us Powell has never given them any evidence either, nor did she provide any today at the press conference," Carlson told his viewers.

"But she never demonstrated that a single, actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another," he continued. But, after a backlash, Carlson provided an "update" that seemed to backtrack on some of his harsh criticism of Powell.

The Kraken released: Sidney Powell releases pair of lawsuits

Sidney Powell, who was fired from Donald Trump's team of election fraud lawyers on Sunday, published details of two lawsuits on Wednesday night - one in Georgia, one in Michigan.Sidney Powell published a 104-page document detailing allegations about Georgia and a 75-page document looking at Michigan on Wednesday night

Tucker Carlson wearing a suit and tie: Fox News host Tucker Carlson

On Nov. 22, the Trump campaign disavowed Powell.

"Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity," Giuliani and Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis announced in a statement.

Days prior to the announcement, Trump had listed Powell as a member of his legal team in a tweet.

USA TODAY has investigated and debunked many claims of election fraud relating to the Nov. 3 election and has found no evidence that Trump won and was deprived of a victory by fraud.

Our rating: Missing context

We rate the claim that President Trump's lawyer Sidney Powell said he won the election "by a landslide" MISSING CONTEXT, because without additional context it is misleading. While she did make that claim, the assertion is false. Joe Biden is the president-elect after having garnered enough electoral votes as a result of the popular vote across the country earlier this month.

Our fact-check sources:

Elizabeth Johnston, Nov. 19, Facebook post
ElizabethJohnston.org
@godblessdjt, Nov. 20, Instagram post
C-SPAN, Nov. 19, "Trump Campaign News Conference on Legal Challenges"
The New York Times, Nov. 19, "How Sidney Powell inaccurately cited Venezuela’s elections as evidence of U.S. fraud."
USA TODAY, Nov. 14, "Fact check: Dominion voting machines didn't delete votes from Trump, switch them to Biden"
GOP, Nov. 19, tweet
USA TODAY, Oct. 7, "Michael Flynn's lawyers say judge is 'hostile,' should recuse himself from Trump ally's case"
Associated Press, Nov. 19, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump legal team’s batch of false vote claims"
Independent, Nov. 20, "Trump lawyer Sidney Powell fires back at ‘rude’ Tucker Carlson as even he says she lacks evidence for voter fraud"
USA TODAY, Nov. 23, "Election 2020 live updates: Trump legal team distances itself from lawyer Sidney Powell, Biden taps Blinken as secretary of state"
Donald J, Trump, Nov. 14, tweet
USA TODAY, Nov. 18, "Fact check: What's true and what's false about the 2020 election"
USA TODAY, Nov. 20, "Tucker Carlson gives 'update' after segment on Sidney Powell, voter fraud draws backlash"

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

For Trump advocate Sidney Powell, a playbook steeped in conspiracy theories

The appellate lawyer has emerged as a key voice on the far right, fueling skepticism that Joe Biden rightfully won presidential contests in key battleground states. Fast forward two decades — through a bitter case she says shook her faith in the U.S. justice system — and there was Powell at a lectern at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, introduced as an attorney representing President Trump.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.

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Supporters of President Donald Trump protest outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where vote counting continues, in Philadelphia, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, two days after the 2020 election was called for Democrat Joe Biden.
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Supporters of President Donald Trump protest the election outside of the Clark County Election Department, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in North Las Vegas.
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Lee Runestad and his son, Jr., 3, cheer with Trump supporters during a rally and protest at the Michigan State Capital building on Nov. 7, 2020, in Lansing. Lee's father is a Jim Runestad, a member of Michigan's state senate.
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People gather during a rally for President Trump at the Oklahoma state Capitol in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020.
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Supporters of US President Donald Trump march to the State Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina, to protest against election results and perceived corruption in the voting process on Nov. 7, 2020. Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades.
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President Trump supporters rally outside the Maricopa County Elections headquarters while officials still counting votes on a close election in Phoenix, Ariz., on November 6, 2020.
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A Trump supporter shouts down counter-protesters during a demonstration over election ballot counting outside the Michigan State Capitol building on November 07, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan.
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A Trump supporter, at left, demonstrating the election results shouts with a counter protester at the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020.
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Counter-protesters, some wearing camouflage and carrying Black Lives Matter flags walk past a group of Trump supporters during a demonstration over election ballot counting outside the Michigan State Capitol building on November 07, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan.
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Donald Trump supporters protest outside Clark County Election Department where ballots are counted on November 6, 2020, in North Las Vegas.
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Angelo Austin (right) of Detroit asks a Trump supporter to back away from him since she wasn't wearing a mask as Trump supporters gathered outside of the TCF Center in Detroit on Thursday, Nov 5, 2020 where the absentee ballot count for the city of Detroit occurred.
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President Trump supporters protest at Maricopa County Elections Department while Arizona still count vote on Nov.5, 2020 in Phoenix.
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A US President Donald Trump supporter (L) clashes with a demonstrator at Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House on election day in Washington, DC on November 3, 2020.
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A protester waves a Black Lives Matter flag during racial justice protests on November 3, 2020 in Seattle, Washington.
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People march on the night of the election in Seattle, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
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Police move into position during a protest on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Los Angeles.
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Police hold a line in front of supporters of President Donald Trump on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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Black Lives Matter demonstrators march through the streets near the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington.
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Milo Shea watches local election results at McPherson Square, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington.
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A demonstrator holds up a sign while watching election returns outside the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington.
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Workers board up windows on the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Building in preparation of potential unrest because of the 2020 election on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio.
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Plywood boards sit outside restaurant Lexi's on Third in preparation of potential unrest because of the 2020 election on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio.
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A Bergdorf Goodman store on 5th Avenue in New York on November 1, 2020, is seen boarded up as they make plans for potential civil unrest during the US presidential race for the White House.
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Ahead of the presidential election, workers with Baguer Construction LLC board up a Walgreens on U Street NW, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in Washington. The site manager said they had been hired to put protective coverings on several Walgreens throughout the city.
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A man walks past a boarded-up branch of Fidelity Investments on Boylston Street, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in Boston.
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A construction worker screws boards into place over windows at Highpoint Apartments on S. High St. in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Many buildings were boarding up their windows in case of post election rioting.
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The anti-scaling fence around the White House is covered with signs on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Trump lawyer Sidney Powell falsely stated he won election 'by a landslide'

Fact check: Biden won popular, Electoral College votes in several battleground states .
A false claim uses unsupported evidence to back flipping votes from Joe Biden to Donald Trump in seven states."I have maintained since election night that Trump is the clear winner, counting the legal votes. But he’s only 23,800 votes away from winning by a squeaker even if you use the crooked vote tallies widely reported by Associated Press," begins a post on the Facebook page for Clean TV.