Three attorneys deeply entangled in former President Donald Trump’s legal efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election are now under the scrutiny of the Washington bar association, facing disciplinary charges for alleged ethical misconduct.
As reported by The Epoch Times on Sunday, January 21, 2024, lawyers Juli Haller, Lawrence Joseph, and Brandon Johnson stand accused of deliberately presenting false information to courts in their support of Trump’s election challenge. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel, responsible for investigating ethical breaches by legal professionals, has formally requested the bar association to assess whether the attorneys violated established rules of professional conduct and to recommend appropriate disciplinary measures.
The allegations pivot on a series of lawsuits filed by the trio in support of Trump’s claims of election irregularities in 2020. Juli Haller, notably involved in Sidney Powell’s “Kraken” lawsuits, later represented defendants from the events of January 6. Brandon Johnson participated in lawsuits related to Powell, while Lawrence Joseph filed a federal lawsuit against then-Vice President Mike Pence, allegedly misrepresenting a “competing slate” of Republican electors in Arizona.
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Court documents reveal that investigators from the bar association assert that the attorneys knowingly submitted false claims regarding election fraud or provided inaccurate representations. Haller and Johnson filed federal lawsuits against state election offices in Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Arizona, alleging election fraud on a vast scale as part of a conspiracy. Investigators argue that these lawsuits lacked a plausible factual basis, and the sought relief was unprecedented and beyond the courts’ authority.
In Joseph’s case, investigators allege that he and his co-counsel filed a federal lawsuit against Vice President Pence after all states had certified electoral votes. Joseph claimed the existence of an alternate Republican slate of electors in Arizona that had cast votes for Trump, but investigators argue that he knew these claims had no factual basis.
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel is urging the bar association to carefully consider whether the attorneys violated professional conduct rules and, if so, to recommend appropriate discipline. As of now, the accused trio has not provided any comments or responses.
These disciplinary charges emerge amidst the ongoing debates surrounding the legitimacy of the 2020 election results. While Democrats dismiss claims of widespread fraud, Trump persists in asserting that he was cheated out of victory. A recent survey conducted by Heartland/Rasmussen indicated instances of voters admitting to irregularities, reinforcing Trump’s claims. Trump referred to the survey results as the “biggest story of the year” and expressed concern that without swift action against voter fraud, the problem could cast a shadow over the 2024 election.
The current controversies underscore the deep divisions and challenges faced by the American electoral system, further intensifying the ongoing discourse surrounding the 2020 election.
