Florida Sen. Bill Nelson’s reelection campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Committee filed a federal lawsuit on Nov. 13 to dispense with the state’s recount deadlines, the latest move in the three-term incumbent’s attempt to stave off an election loss to Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
A day earlier, a separate lawsuit was filed to allow almost 875,000 late absentee ballots to be counted, citing voter disenfranchisement. If successful, the suit might not only deliver the disputed Senate seat, but overturn the results of the state’s narrowly decided gubernatorial race, which ended with progressive Democrat Andrew Gillum conceding to Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis. Gillum recently rescinded his concession, as the margin in that race has narrowed enough to trigger a recount.
In both cases, the lead attorney is Marc Elias, the Washington-based chairman of the political law group at the power-firm of Perkins Coie.
Elias’s clients include the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, House Majority PAC, Senate Majority PAC, Priorities USA, Emily’s List, more than 40 Democratic senators, and more than 100 Democratic House members.
Elias was also the general counsel for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and personally retained the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, according to The Washington Post. Fusion GPS then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who produced the infamous opposition research dossier of unsubstantiated claims about President Donald Trump.
In congressional testimony earlier this year, ousted FBI Director James Comey referred to the Steele dossier as being both “salacious and unverified.” The FBI, under Comey, nevertheless used the dossier to secured a surveillance warrant to spy on former Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.
Elias and a team of allied lawyers descended on Florida after polls closed on Nov. 6, to address the close elections for U.S. Senate and governor in the all-important 2020 presidential swing state. His presence was not lost on the president.
“As soon as Democrats sent their best Election stealing lawyer, Marc Elias, to Broward County they miraculously started finding Democrat votes. Don’t worry, Florida— am sending much better lawyers to expose the FRAUD!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Nov. 9.
