Former Trump Lawyer to Oversee Election Review in Texas

HOUSTON — Amid unit from erstwhile President Donald J. Trump to enactment a wide reappraisal of the 2020 predetermination successful Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott connected Thursday appointed arsenic caput of authorities a lawyer who concisely joined Mr. Trump’s situation to the 2020 results successful Pennsylvania.

The caller caput of state, John Scott, volition oversee Texas elections astatine a clip erstwhile a caller instrumentality imposing further restrictions connected voting and a Republican redistricting program person raised alarm among voting rights advocates that the state’s increasing nonwhite colonisation would not beryllium reasonably represented.

More immediately, Mr. Scott, a Fort Worth lawyer who worked for Mr. Abbott erstwhile helium was the state’s lawyer general, volition instrumentality complaint of a constricted reappraisal of the 2020 predetermination results that Mr. Abbott, a Republican, ordered past period for 4 of the astir populous counties successful Texas.

“I americium assured that John’s acquisition and expertise volition heighten his oversight and enactment implicit the biggest and astir thorough predetermination audit successful the country,” Mr. Abbott said successful a connection announcing the appointment.

Though helium indispensable yet beryllium confirmed by the State Senate, Mr. Scott tin service successful the relation successful the interim. The Senate is not successful regular league again until 2023.

The assignment brought contiguous disapproval from Democrats and voting groups. “The timing of this announcement is intelligibly intended to subvert our antiauthoritarian process successful a mode that allows Greg Abbott’s wholly unsuitable nominee to oversee our 2022 elections without having to look confirmation hearings,” said Stephanie Gómez, the Texas subordinate manager for Common Cause.

Mr. Scott was among the lawyers representing Mr. Trump’s run arsenic it filed suit to situation the results of the November 2020 predetermination successful Pennsylvania, a authorities that President Biden won by 80,555 votes.

But Mr. Scott withdrew from the case, arsenic did different subordinate of his instrumentality firm, Bryan Hughes, on the eve of a hearing, aft a circuit tribunal ruling that efficaciously gutted their arguments. The lawsuit was yet dismissed.

“The acquisition from the Pennsylvania lawsuit is that John Scott is simply a feline you tin spot to travel the law,” said Mr. Hughes, a Republican authorities legislator from Tyler, Texas. He added that, portion successful the lawyer general’s office, Mr. Scott represented Texas successful litigation implicit the state’s elector recognition law, “so this country of the instrumentality is not unfamiliar to him.”

Mr. Hughes was the pb sponsor of Texas’ restrictive caller predetermination rules, which passed this twelvemonth implicit concerted absorption from Democrats. The caller rules broaden the authorization of the caput of authorities successful elections.

No credible grounds has emerged of wide elector fraud during the 2020 predetermination successful Texas oregon successful immoderate different state. Mr. Trump carried the authorities by much than 5 percent points and Republicans maintained a fastener connected the statehouse contempt a well-funded effort by Democrats to effort to flip control.

Still, with supporters of Mr. Trump believing helium should person won the authorities by an adjacent greater margin, Mr. Abbott has faced increasing calls for authorities authorizing a “forensic audit” of the 2020 statesmanlike ballot successful Texas. Last month, Mr. Trump wrote a missive to Mr. Abbott urging him to backmost the legislation.

“Despite my large triumph successful Texas, I perceive Texans privation an predetermination audit! You cognize your chap Texans person large questions astir the November 2020 Election,” work the letter, steeped successful arcane Texas legislative connection and signed by the erstwhile president.

Political operatives successful the authorities person suspected that the erstwhile president received assistance successful his foray into Austin authorities by Texas conservatives, possibly the lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, who doubly chaired Mr. Trump’s run successful the state. Under Mr. Patrick’s leadership, the Senate has already passed a 2020 predetermination reappraisal bill.

Trump’s Bid to Subvert the Election

Hours aft Mr. Trump made his Sept. 23 missive to Mr. Abbott public, the politician appeared to respond. The bureau of the caput of authorities issued a abbreviated connection saying that a “full and broad forensic audit” had already begun successful Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Collin counties. The archetypal 2 person go reliably Democratic. The second 2 person been trending distant from Republicans.

The bureau underscored that the authorities would oversee the review, and that nary extracurricular contractor would beryllium brought in, arsenic occurred during the caller reappraisal successful Arizona. That circuslike effort reaffirmed President Biden’s triumph successful the state.

At the time, Texas was without a caput of state, aft Mr. Abbott’s erstwhile appointee, Ruth Ruggero Hughs, resigned successful May due to the fact that of a deficiency of enactment connected her confirmation by the senate.

The announcement of Mr. Scott’s assignment came a time aft Mr. Patrick posted a connection connected Twitter urging Mr. Abbott to telephone legislators backmost to the capitol for a 4th peculiar session. “House needs to walk an predetermination forensic audit bill,” Mr. Patrick wrote.

Mr. Patrick’s bureau did not respond to a petition for comment. Mr. Scott did not instrumentality an email and a substance seeking comment.

In summation to overseeing elections, the caput of authorities is the liaison for the Texas politician connected cross-border affairs with Mexico.