Trump Demanded Justice Department Seize Voting Machines, Former Officials Testify To Congress

Former Trump officials revealed that former President Donald Trump asked the Department of Justice to seize voting machines.

During the January 6 committee’s hearings, former officials of the DOJ testified their accounts of Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election.

Former Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen said during his testimony that once the officials had viewed the voting machines, they found that here was no evidence to back up Trump’s claims.

“We had seen nothing improper with regard to the voting machines, and I told him that the real experts had briefed us, that they had looked at it and that there was nothing wrong with the voting machines,” Rosen stated.

At one point, the officials reported that Trump threatened to remove them from their positions if they did not do what Trump asked them to do – seize the voting machines – something that had never been done in U.S. history.

Richard Donoghue, another Justice Department official under Trump, noted the former president seemed “agitated” that the DOJ was unable to carry out his commands. 

“The president was very agitated by the acting attorney general’s response,” Donoghue said.

In a key statement to Trump, Donoghue said to Trump that the DOJ would not be doing tasks beyond its functions, especially those that are not based on facts.

“Mr. President, you should have the leadership that you want,” Donoghue stated. “But, understand, the United States Justice Department functions on facts, evidence, and law. And those are not going to change.”