New timeline reveals Scott Perry’s plan with Trump officials to overturn Pennsylvania voters’ choice in 2020 election

US Rep. Scott Perry attending a PA House Freedom Caucus press conference in Harrisburg on Nov. 28, 2022 (Photo: Sean Kitchen)

By Sean Kitchen

January 2, 2024

Congressman Scott Perry’s communications with Trump officials and Pennsylvania Republicans places him at the center of Trump’s efforts to overturn the commonwealth’s 2020 election results.

This Saturday marks three years since rioters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and voters living in South Central Pennsylvania are finally getting answers about Congressman Scott Perry’s (R-York) involvement in trying to overturn the commonwealth’s 2020 election results in the weeks leading up to that fateful day.

A timeline of Perry’s communications with officials close to former president Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Republicans released in a recent federal court filing highlights the role Perry played in trying to discredit and overturn Pennsylvania’s 2020 election results. On top of the unsealed filing, he was ordered to turn over 1,600 emails and text messages to federal prosecutors.

Perry and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) participated in a Stop the Steal rally organized by right-wing extremist Scot Presler at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg two days after the election on Nov. 5, 2020.

The following day Perry texted Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief of Staff, about coordinating efforts and collecting information regarding Pennsylvania’s election results. He told Meadows to have him or his “folks” to contact Rod Corey, the Pennsylvania House Republican’s Chief Counsel, about concerns of election fraud.

The congressman told Meadows via text message that he is working with cybersecurity teams in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin and then begins sharing conspiracy theories about Dominion’s voting machines and their electronic voting software.

While Perry is spreading conspiracy theories about Dominion’s voting machines with members of the Trump administration, he is coordinating a hearing on Dominion with Pennsylvania House Republicans, which was scheduled for Nov. 20, 2020.

Perry exchanged text messages with Pete Morocco and James Waldron, a supposed private sector cybersecurity expert associated with Sidney Powell, the day before the hearing and Waldron forwarded “questions and support materials for the dominion hearing” to the Congressman.

Perry then goes on to email members of the Pennsylvania House Republican caucus a series of questions for Republican legislators to ask officials from Dominion.

The unsealed court document states that Perry initially introduced Powell to Meadows on Nov. 8, 2020, the day after every media outlet called the election for President-elect Joe Biden.

“Mark, please do not delay in speaking with him or Sydney Powell,” Perry wrote.

Republicans canceled the hearing because Dominion refused to participate, and opted to host a press conference sharing baseless conspiracy theories about Venezuela interfering with the election.

Perry was sharing his own conspiracy theories that day. The congressman emailed Rich Higgins, a former National Security Council staffer in the Trump administration, about an “incredibly spooky” story about the US Army confiscating Dominion software servers in Germany and how the agency tried to cover their tracks.

The court document states that Perry was in communication with State Reps. Mike Jones (R-York), Dawn Keefer (R-York) and Seth Grove (R-York) and State Sens. Cris Dush (R-Jefferson), Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) and Doug Mastriano (R-York).

Even though communications weren’t released, Perry worked with legislators on a number of issues that would cast doubt on the election. They included proposing an election audit, introducing a House resolution that disputed the commonwealth’s election results, hosting a hearing on Dominion’s voting machines and drafting letters to Vice President Mike Pence and other members of Congress questioning Pennsylvania’s election.

Perry has spent $75,000 in campaign contributions as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer to pay for his legal expenses since getting served by federal authorities with a search warrant in 2022.



Author

  • Sean Kitchen

    Sean Kitchen is the Keystone’s political correspondent, based in Harrisburg. Sean is originally from Philadelphia and spent five years working as a writer and researcher for Pennsylvania Spotlight.

Politics

PA Scranton Food Voting_AZ Tucson Food Voting

Local News

Related Stories
Share This