An anti-Trump legal group has filed ethics complaints against more than a dozen Republican state attorneys general over their challenges to the 2020 election.
The 65 Project claims 15 Republicans — current and former attorneys general — used their official office to push “frivolous claims that lacked basis in law or fact” when they signed on to a brief supporting Texas in the case Texas v. Pennsylvania.
In that dispute, Texas argued that the Supreme Court should block Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin from certifying their election results because of election administration procedures having been altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The justices rejected Texas’ filing, reasoning that the Lone Star State did not have sufficient legal injury to file the complaint.
A spokesperson for The 65 Project said the ethics complaint process does not move quickly.
“Can be anywhere from 6-12 months so just now we’re getting some initial results from earlier complaints,” said Eddie Vale. He pointed to a complaint filed in Georgia that has been referred to a disciplinary committee involving two Georgia lawyers that reportedly served as fake electors for former President Donald Trump.
The group did not file an ethics complaint against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for filing the lawsuit, reasoning that he was already facing disciplinary review.
“He already had a complaint against him on it and [we were] trying to mostly avoid duplication,” Mr. Vale said of Mr. Paxton.
The 15 GOP former and current attorneys general facing the groups’ complaints, which were filed last week, include: Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, Steven Marshall of Alabama, Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Derek Schmidt of Kansas, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Tim Fox of Montana, Sean Reyes of Utah, Herbert Slatery of Tennessee, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Curtis Hill of Indiana, Mike Hunter of Oklahoma, Ashley Moodey of Florida, Douglas Peterson of Nebraska, and Alan Wilson of South Carolina.
A spokesperson for the Republican Attorneys General Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 65 Project describes itself as a bipartisan group with a mission geared toward filing complaints against lawyers who represented Mr. Trump’s challenges to the 2020 election results. It’s named after the failed 65 lawsuits the former president and his allies filed in an attempt to overturn President Biden’s electoral victory.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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