Trump Caught Off Guard by Kamala Harris’ Legal Strategy to Thwart His Election Schemes

As the 2024 election season unfolds, Kamala Harris and her legal team are already gearing up for what promises to be a tumultuous legal battle against Donald Trump’s familiar tactics. With the former president’s history of contesting election results, filing lawsuits, and sowing doubt about the integrity of the voting process, Harris and her team are taking proactive measures to protect the integrity of the upcoming election.

On a recent episode of *Mistrial* and *Legal AF*, co-host Karen Freeman Agnifilo discussed how the Harris campaign is preparing to tackle Trump’s legal maneuvers. Trump’s playbook, used effectively in 2020, involves undermining election results through frivolous lawsuits and misinformation campaigns aimed at delegitimizing his opponents. In anticipation of these moves, Harris’ team has enlisted a powerful legal force: election law expert Mark Elias.

Elias is no stranger to Trump’s tactics. Having successfully fought off over 60 legal challenges from Trump and his allies during the 2020 election, Elias has a proven track record of defending democratic processes. Now, he is back at the helm, spearheading Harris’ legal strategy to ensure the election is fair and that Trump’s attempts to contest the results are thwarted.

Trump’s Playbook: A Familiar Pattern

Trump’s efforts to undermine elections follow a consistent pattern. In 2016, when he lost the Iowa caucus to Ted Cruz, Trump claimed the election was rigged. After losing the popular vote in the 2016 general election, he falsely claimed that millions of people had voted illegally. In 2020, amid a pandemic, he focused his attacks on mail-in ballots, alleging without evidence that they were a source of widespread fraud. As Freeman Agnifilo pointed out, Trump’s strategy is not about securing a fair election but about sowing doubt and discrediting any outcome that does not favor him.

This rhetoric is not just a means of rallying his base but part of a larger plan to file lawsuits challenging the results. In 2020, Trump’s team filed more than 60 lawsuits, none of which were successful. Yet, the sheer volume of litigation and the narrative of a “stolen election” allowed Trump to delay the certification of results and stoke unrest among his supporters.

Mark Elias: The Legal Heavyweight Leading the Charge

Understanding Trump’s tactics, the Harris campaign has assembled a legal “war chest” to prepare for an onslaught of lawsuits and challenges to the election results. Mark Elias, a highly respected attorney with expertise in voting rights and election law, is leading this effort. Elias is known for his strategic litigation, having successfully represented Democratic candidates and committees in numerous cases. He is well-versed in the legal challenges that Trump will likely mount and is prepared to counter them with a team of hundreds of lawyers and volunteers across the country.

Elias’ law firm, the Elias Law Group, has a mission centered on defending democratic processes and ensuring that every vote is counted. During the 2020 election, he not only defended against Trump’s lawsuits but also worked to ensure voter protection, recount efforts, and litigation related to election challenges. Now, he is building an even larger team to protect the 2024 election.

According to reports, this legal strategy will involve deploying lawyers and volunteers to key battleground states, ensuring that voters can cast their ballots and that every vote is counted. This robust legal network is ten times larger than the team assembled in 2020, reflecting the increased stakes and the expectation that Trump will once again attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the election.

The Republican Strategy: Voter Suppression and Legal Challenges

As Freeman Agnifilo explained, Trump’s strategy is not just about questioning the results after Election Day but also about making it more difficult for people to vote in the first place. Republicans have already begun challenging voting rules in various states. In states like Nevada and Mississippi, they have attempted to contest rules regarding mail-in ballots and voter rolls, but federal courts have rejected these challenges. These cases are just the beginning of what is expected to be a litigious election cycle.

The Democrats, led by Harris’ legal team, are focusing on voter protection, ensuring that voters are not disenfranchised by these tactics. In addition to defending against lawsuits, they are preparing to help voters fix issues with their ballots through absentee ballot “chase and cure” programs, which assist voters whose ballots have been rejected but can still be corrected in time to be counted.

Preparing for a Legal Showdown

The Harris campaign’s legal preparations are a direct response to Trump’s well-documented attempts to challenge democratic norms. Rather than waiting for the lawsuits to pile up after Election Day, Harris’ team, led by Mark Elias, is taking a proactive approach, building a comprehensive strategy to protect the election from Trump’s schemes.

As Freeman Agnifilo emphasized, the legal battles of 2024 are not just about how many votes are cast but about which votes are counted and whose voices are heard. The outcome of the election will depend on these legal battles, and with Elias at the helm, the Harris campaign is in a strong position to defend democracy and ensure that the election results are respected.

Trump, blindsided by the early and aggressive legal strategy from Harris’ camp, will likely continue his efforts to delegitimize the election. However, with a team of seasoned attorneys and a robust voter protection plan, Harris is ready to fight back and ensure that the 2024 election is fair and free from interference.

As we move closer to Election Day, the legal battles will only intensify, but Harris’ team is prepared, and the stakes for American democracy couldn’t be higher.