former President Donald Trump's efforts to# overturn the results of the Th e Detroit News listened to a partial# recording of a phone call between Trump,## Republican National Committee Chairwoman# Ronna McDaniel, and two local election## officials from late November of that year.# In it, Trump and McDaniel can reportedly be## heard pressuring the Republican chair and# another member of the Wayne County Board## of Canvassers not to certify the election# results there, despite no evidence of fraud.
William Brangham has been tracking# this story today and joins me now.
William, it's good to see you.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Hi.
call?
And what kind of impact could# it have had on the larger election?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Here's what we know.
Joe Biden won Michigan by Michigan had not certified those votes.# And so imagine you're these two local## elections officials, and the phone# rings, and it's the president of the## United States and the chairman of# the Republican National Co And they're saying, don't certify# those results.
It's croo send lawyers.
There's been rigging going# on here.
Just imagine the power dynamic## difference there, where the president# is calling asking you to do this.
I mean, as we know, Donald Trump in the# past had made many unfou about voting in Detroit, which is where Wayne# County is, saying that dead voters had been## voting.
None of that was true.
Michigan# was about to announce its results.
And## these two canvassers did try to rescind their# certification, but it was too late.
Michigan## was declared for Joe Biden.
Michigan was# critical for Joe Biden's election win.
And this effort, this phone call,# seems to be another effort by the## former president to stop that# fact from becoming reality.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, we know there are# a lot of ongoing efforts to hold## President Trump and his political allies# accountable for their ef the 2020 election results.
How does this# episode fit into those larger efforts?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This effort, this phone call# is similar, in a way, to what we know came out## of Georgia, where there's a state case against# the former president in Fulton Co where he called election officials there# and said, can you guys find me 11,000 votes?
We also know the federal case being brought# against Donald Trump by special counsel Jack## Smith charges him with four felonies.
And in# that indictment, it does cite Trump's use,## alleged use, of deceit to try to fool and persuade# state elections officials to overturn elections.
Wayne County is not in that indictment.# We don't know if that's going to end up## in evidence in that case.
One former prosecutor# that I talked to today d McDaniel could become a co-conspirator in the# federal case in one count of that case if it## could be proven that she knew that there was, in# fact, no voter fraud, but yet was urging these## elections officials to not certify alleging that# fraud existed, so still waiting to see on that.
AMNA NAWAZ: And have we heard anything from Ronna# McDaniel or President Trump on that phone call?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Yes, no one# disputed the contents of this call.
A spokesman for President -- former President# Trump reiter election was rigged and stolen, and# thus he had every reason to make a## call to elections officials to try to stop that.# Ronna McDaniel made a so She argued -- we can show her quote here.
She# said: "What I said publicly and repeatedly at## the time is that there was ample evidence# that warranted an audit of that vote."
Again, at the risk of repeating myself, there# was no evidence of election fraud in Michigan.## No court case that was brought ever showed# that that was the case.
A state review run by## Republicans in the state legislature found the# same.
Joe Biden won Michigan fair and square.
AMNA NAWAZ: In this case, the efforts to# overturn the 2020 election results didn't work.
But if there was a similar pressure campaign# in our upcoming presidential election,## is our election system better# prepared in any way to handle it?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This is# an enormous ongoing concern.
In Michigan, last year, they passed a# ballot measure t these -- like these two officials, can# only certify an election based on the## actual vote tally.
So Michigan# seems to have headed this off.
But people who study elections worry that# there are a lot of other No rth Carolina, Wisconsin, where similar rules# are not being enacted and chicanery AMNA NAWAZ: While we have you, William# -- and I have been covering all things## related to legal matters around Mr.# Tr the Supreme Court just today declined to# fast-track consideration of Mr. Trump' immunity claim related to charges# brought against him for January 6.
What does that mean for that case?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This is a huge procedural# win for th special counsel Jack Smith had asked the Supreme# Court to basically leapfrog over an appeals## court that was ruling on this motion, that the# president had made this sweeping assertion that,## because he was president, he was immune from# any alleged crimes he might have committed.
Jack Smith said, I know there's an appeals# court working on this, but I need the Supreme## Court to look at this more quickly, because# this is an urgent matter for the nation.
The Supreme Court said, we're not going# to do it.
The appeals court must rule.
The reason this is a victory for Trump is that# that delays this process, which we know his## legal team has wanted to do in all of these# cases, delay them as long as possible.
So,## the appeals court will rule.
It may end up# before the Supreme Court, but not right away.
AMNA NAWAZ: William Brangham, thanks for unpacking# it and making sense of it all.
Appreciate that.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: My pleasure.