When 17 state attorneys general filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to consider overturning President-elect Joe Biden’s victories in four key states, they were widely criticized for attempting to subvert democracy. When the court categorically dismissed their petition, they were reprimanded for tying their names and taxpayer resources to a constitutionally absurd and clearly doomed legal fight.
But all of that criticism hasn’t deterred at least one official involved in the effort, who is now using it to raise money for future political undertakings.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt was one of 17 state GAs who asked the Supreme Court to effectively overturn the 2020 election. On the same day the court dismissed the case, the campaign committee de Schmitt began running ads on Google to direct visitors to the campaign page on the GOP WinRed fundraising platform.
“Missouri will stand up for electoral integrity at all times. Donate Today to Help! declared announcements.
Three versions of the ad aired on Google on December 11, according to the platform’s political ad disclosure database. That morning, the Supreme Court released its ruling, rejecting states’ standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place and dealing a blow to the efforts of President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the presidential election results of the last month.
Schmitt won his bid for a second term as state attorney general in November, and is not limited by a term. His campaign committee did not respond to a request for comment on his recent fundraising efforts.
The sums Schmitt’s team spent on the ads are relatively small – $ 100 or less for each of the three that aired Friday. But they still illustrate the extent to which Trump’s attempts to challenge the election results – as far-fetched as they are – have turned into real cash cows for the office holders associated with them.
The Trump campaign itself has raised millions of dollars through fundraising solicitations that invoke bogus election conspiracy theories. In fact, little of that money went to his post-hoc efforts to invalidate what neutral observers have almost uniformly described as one of the safest and most reliable presidential elections of modern times.
Similar state-level political fundraising efforts have invoked Trump’s cause in their attempts to solicit contributions, even when their own interest in the alleged electoral fraud plot is tenuous at best. The Florida Republican Party has sought to use GOP complaints about alleged election irregularities to fill its own coffers, despite Trump winning the state.
“As states across the country continue to count votes and engage in legal battles, Florida has proudly shown what a fair, transparent and expeditious electoral process looks like,” a recent fundraising email said. of the GOP. “But after seeing the many allegations of fraud and corruption across the country, we need to ensure that key safeguards are in place now for the 2022 elections. Please make a quick contribution to our Integrity Fund election 2022 to keep elections in Florida free, fair, and safe. “
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