Politics

Trump campaign vows to appeal Pennsylvania case to Supreme Court

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the results of Pennsylvania’s presidential election — leading President Trump’s campaign to vow a final challenge before the US Supreme Court.

A three-judge panel with the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia unanimously rejected Trump’s bid to overturn a lower court ruling, saying that his “campaign’s claims have no merit,” The Associated Press reported.

“Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so,” Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote.

“Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.”

In response, Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis tweeted a joint statement from her and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the campaign’s lead lawyer, in which they attacked the decision as a whitewash in favor of Joe Biden.

“The activist judicial machinery in Pennsylvania continues to cover up the allegations of massive fraud,” she wrote.

Ellis added, “On to SCOTUS!” — an acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States.

Ellis also said she and Giuliani were “very thankful to have had the opportunity to present proof and the facts” during a hearing held last week by Republican members of the Pennsylvania state Senate.

Trump phoned into the meeting to claim that the election was “rigged” and “has to be turned around.”

“This was an election that we won easily. We won it by a lot,” Trump said.

Biden beat Trump by 51.1 percent to 47.2 percent in the popular vote and 306-232 in votes that will be cast by the Electoral College, according to results compiled by Fox News.

On Saturday, Williamsport, Penn., federal Judge Matthew Brann issued a scathing ruling that threw out Trump’s bid to overturn the results in the Keystone State, saying he was being asked to disenfranchise as many as 6.8 million voters.

“One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption,” Brann wrote.

“That has not happened.”

Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis speaks as adviser Boris Epshteyn talks to Rudy Giuliani at a news conference last week.
Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis speaks as adviser Boris Epshteyn talks to Rudy Giuliani at a news conference last week.Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

All three of the judges who upheld Brann’s decision were appointed by Republican presidents, including Bibas, who was nominated by Trump, AP said.