Donald Trump Floats Declaring Martial Law To Overturn Election Results, Reports Say

President Donald Trump has not yet given up on contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, despite the fact that the Electoral College has certified Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

According to a Saturday report from Axios, administration officials are “increasingly alarmed” that the commander-in-chief might do all in his power to prevent Biden from being sworn in. The officials said that the president is “spending too much time” with conspiracy theorists who have been pushing him to abuse the power of his office.

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn is allegedly among the individuals who have influenced Trump. Flynn has argued that the president should declare martial law and overturn the results of the presidential race. Trump has reportedly expressed interest in this idea.

One administration official told Axios that many have become “anxious” in recent weeks, especially after seeing Trump endorse calls to jail Republican politicians who refused to participate in his efforts to dispute the legitimacy of the electoral process.

“People who are concerned and nervous aren’t the weak-kneed bureaucrats that we loathe. These are people who have endured arguably more insanity and mayhem than any administration officials in history,” the individual said.

Per The New York Times, controversial lawyer Sidney Powell — who has filed a number of evidence-free lawsuits on behalf of the Trump campaign — was in the Oval Office on Friday evening. Trump reportedly expressed interest in appointing her as special counsel for voter fraud.

“Mr. Trump has been in contact with Ms. Powell in recent days, despite the fact that the campaign last month sought to distance itself from her as she aired wild and baseless claims about Dominion Voting Systems machines, which were used in some states, somehow being connected to a Venezuelan plot to control the election.”

Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani voiced opposition to appointing Powell as special counsel, per individuals briefed on the matter. However, he has been putting pressure on the Department of Homeland Security to seize the voting machines that were used in 2020 election.

As New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted via Twitter, Flynn also attended Friday evening’s meeting. During the meeting, Trump “asked about Flynn’s suggestion of deploying the military” but individuals close to the commander-in-chief dismissed the idea.

In an interview with Newsmax earlier this week, Flynn agued that declaring martial law would not be unprecedented. He said that Trump could deploy the U.S. military to key swing states and order a “rerun” of the 2020 presidential race.