Politics Georgia Ordered to File Brief in Voting Machine Conspiracy Suit

(Bloomberg) -- Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and the state’s elections chief were ordered by a federal judge to explain their opposition to allowing inspections of voting machines President Donald Trump has claimed “switched” votes in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten in Atlanta gave Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger until Wednesday to file a brief in response to inspection demands by former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell, who filed a suit alleging Dominion Voting Systems Inc. machines are part of a vast election-rigging scheme involving Democratic-run cities, billionaire George Soros and “communist money” from Venezuela and Cuba.

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Georgia Judge orders voting machines impounded immediately to preserve evidence. Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. issued an order a few hours ago to impound all Dominion voting machines in Would such a judge be complicit in the destruction of evidence and conspiracy to commit a crime?

The machines were sequestered by local officials because of an ongoing federal lawsuit that argues Georgia ’s electronic voting machines could be hacked or tampered with. With fewer machines in precincts, voters faced heavy delays, often more than an hour, before they got to the front of the line.

© Bloomberg Kelly Loeffler Holds Campaign Event With Governor Kemp

Brian Kemp

Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg

Powell has produced no evidence, and Dominion has denied all claims made by Powell and other Trump allies concerning the election.

Kemp and Raffensperger, both Republicans, said at a Sunday evening hearing that the inspections demanded in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee counties posed “substantial” security and intellectual property risks, according to the Sunday ruling. The judge, a George W. Bush appointee, asked the state officials to explain their assertions and also ordered the state not to alter or erase any of the data.

Though Trump has continued to promote it, Powell’s conspiracy theory was widely panned, including on the right, after she detailed it during a Nov. 19 press conference alongside Rudy Giuliani. Conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh have criticized Powell for failing to back up her wild claims, and the Trump campaign last week cut ties with her.

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