The story, published in CNN’s What Matters newsletter, details allegations against the Trump campaign made by special counsel Jack Smith in federal court in Washington, DC. Smith alleges that a Trump campaign operative called for a “riot” the day after Election Day in 2020, similar to efforts in other swing states. This request was made as Trump supporters were converging on a vote counting center in Detroit during the 2020 election.
The request for a “riot” in Detroit harkened back to the infamous “Brooks Brothers riot” that occurred in Miami-Dade County during the 2000 election. This event, where well-dressed Republican operatives disrupted a recount, halted the recount in Florida. The comparison to the 2000 election highlights the Trump campaign’s aim of disruption in the 2020 election. Despite these allegations, Trump has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the accusations as part of a “witch hunt.”
Special counsel Jack Smith filed accusations against Trump over a year ago, which have been recalibrated after Trump was granted a new, special immunity for anything that could be considered official conduct during his presidency. The details of these accusations were unsealed by Judge Tanya Chutkan, shedding new light on the investigation that took place. Smith alleges that the FBI has been able to recreate Trump’s actions on his phone during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
The comparison between the events of 2000 and 2020 raises questions about the tactics used by Republican campaigns during elections. Republicans have openly discussed plans to deploy supporters to observe ballot counting in swing states. Trump’s efforts in 2020 have been likened to George W. Bush’s strategies in 2000, with former CNN political commentator Douglas Heye making connections between the two events.
The Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer views the Brooks Brothers riot as an early example of the GOP “weaponizing outrage” and predicts that Trump and his allies will go to great lengths to dispute election outcomes. Trump has continued to claim that the only way he can lose is through fraud, despite the absence of evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Zelizer highlights the strategy of creating chaos to distract from damaging issues and portraying the GOP as necessary to restore order.
While some, like Heye who was part of the Brooks Brothers riot, see their actions as a fight to ensure transparency and fairness in the election process, others view it as a manipulation of outrage for political gain. The Supreme Court’s involvement in the 2000 election, and the presence of justices in the current court who worked on behalf of the Bush campaign during the recounts, further complicates the legacy of these events. The actions of the Trump campaign in 2020, and the comparisons to past events, raise concerns about the future of American politics and the role of radicalization in the political process.
