Insights into Scott Perry's Text Messages Shed Light on Attempts to Reverse Trump's 2020 Defeat
US Rep Scott Perry's revealing texts shed light on his determined efforts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, offering unprecedented insight into President Trump's influence over the Justice Department
Rep. Scott Perry expressed his intention to contest Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election and his discussions with a Justice Department official provided insight into the former president's handling of the agency. Perry's text messages, which were unveiled in court documents on Wednesday, revealed multiple exchanges with DOJ's Jeffrey Clark in late December 2020 and early January 2021. Clark, a Trump appointee supportive of challenging the election results, was being considered by Trump for the position of attorney general.
Perry texted Clark, "POTUS seems pleased with your response. I transcribed it exactly as you dictated," according to court records.
In response, Clark said, "I'm praying. This makes me quite nervous. I wonder if I'm worthy or ready."
Perry's message to Clark on December 30, 2020, confirmed his belief in Clark's role, stating "God does what he does for a reason." These messages reveal the depth of Perry and Clark's discussions about Clark's rise in Trump's circle during the former president's efforts to maintain his elected position. While it was known that Perry had a close connection to Clark, newly public court records offer a more detailed look at Perry's conversations about contesting Trump's loss of the presidency.
The congressman continued to communicate with Justice Department officials into 2021. Perry discussed with Clark his attempts to secure a security clearance for the DOJ official in order to access intelligence on the election. Perry advised Clark to ensure that the intelligence chief provided him with the necessary information during an upcoming briefing on election security. Clark requested that Perry ask Trump for access to classified information, to which Perry confirmed that Trump would provide. This information is based on the communications found in court records.
Perry's messages also bring attention to other tactics used by the Pennsylvania Republican to challenge the election results. In one instance, Perry questioned a former Trump administration official about whether there was anyone in the senate with the courage to oppose what he saw as election fraud.
He shared what he considered to be valid information regarding Pennsylvania ballots with a Trump campaign lawyer, and conversed with fellow members of Congress regarding suspected voter fraud in Michigan and Georgia. Additionally, he was contacted by an ex-colleague of a Trump administration contact who inquired about Perry's ability to influence Trump, then Vice President Mike Pence, and others to utilize the vice president's authority to alter the debate rules relating to the electoral college vote, as revealed in recently disclosed court documents.
Perry communicated with his chief of staff about requesting an audit of county election systems. The release of the texts sheds light on the behind-the-scenes conversations as Trump enlisted powerful allies throughout the federal government to contest the 2020 election results.
Federal District Judge Beryl Howell described and quoted Perry's 2020 election texts in an opinion she wrote in December 2022. Special counsel office prosecutors obtained cell phone records from several of Trump's top allies before deciding to charge the ex-president with obstruction and other crimes. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals briefly made Howell's writing public on Wednesday afternoon before taking it down from their website, suggesting a mistake had been made.
The Washington Post has released the entire court document and Politico has also covered the content of the text messages. Attorney John Rowley, representing Perry, described the release of the text messages this week as "unfortunate."
Rowley stated in a statement provided to CNN that the communications were intended to give insights into real-time information regarding the 2020 election and were confidential. Their purpose was to address vital business matters before Congress in order to serve Perry's constituents.
Howell privately examined over 2,000 documents that Perry had attempted to keep from investigators since they confiscated his cell phone last summer, including the text messages. Howell determined that the messages should be accessible to the special counsel investigators, who were reviewing the efforts of top government officials to challenge Trump's loss in the election. However, the appeals court limited the access of investigators to some of Perry's communications.
CNN previously stated that, based on court records, Perry attempted to persuade executive branch officials regarding the election in ways that Judge Howell considered "proactive, persistent, and prolonged." The judge also described Perry's phone communications as a "multi-faceted effort to urge Executive Branch officials to take more assertive action."
