Three days before President Joe Biden's inauguration, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-SC, texted Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, calling for martial law to stop Biden from taking office, according to the political website Talking Points Memo.
In the text exchange, Norman, who leads the 5th Congressional District that includes parts of Spartanburg, Cherokee, and York counties, leaned heavily on false claims about issues with the Dominion voting machines, which have long been debunked by several news groups including USA Today.
“Mark, in seeing what’s happening so quickly, and reading about the Dominion lawsuits (sic) attempting to stop any meaningful investigation we are at a point of no return in saving our Republic!!” Norman texted on Jan. 17, 2021.
“Our LAST HOPE is invoking Marshall (sic) Law!! PLEASE URGE TO PRESIDENT TO DO SO!!” Norman continued.
Norman's office released a statement Tuesday that said that the text came from a "source of frustration."
“Obviously, Martial Law was never warranted," the statement said. "That text message came from a source of frustration, on the heels of countless unanswered questions about the integrity of the 2020 election, without any way to slow down and examine those issues prior to the inauguration of the newly elected president.”
The South Carolinian Republican has a history of amplifying false claims and questioning the 2020 elections. On Aug. 31, 2021, Norman told the Greenville News that post-elections audits in states...
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