WASHINGTON: A conservative think tank which is planning to overhaul the federal government entirely in case of a republican presidential win has indicated that President Joe Biden might want to hold onto the White House “by force” if he loses in November.
This warning from the Heritage Foundation, contrary to Biden’s public statements, was contained in a report released Thursday that the group said resulted from “role-playing exercise gaming out potential scenarios before and after 2024 election” (Parami News).
“The lawlessness of the Biden Administration – at the border, in staffing considerations, and in routine defiance of court rulings – makes clear that the current president and his administration not only possesses the means, but perhaps also the intent, to circumvent constitutional limits and disregard the will of voters should they demand a new president,” according to one part of this report (source).
This report was published during Republican National Convention and four months before presidential elections so as to show how conservative groups who were supportive of Trump are trying to turn around narrative on which candidate poses bigger threats on America’s democratic traditions.
A number of speeches by Biden have been dedicated towards laying out reasons why people need to vote against Trump while Trump together with his supporters have pointed out his four criminal cases as a way suggesting that Democrats have weaponized justice system against their main political opponent.
These include The Heritage Foundation along with other pro-Trump groups continuing to promote such same unfounded claims about electoral fraud that propelled Trump’s efforts aimed at staying put despite losing the 2020 election to Biden.
All these efforts eventually led up till January 6th 2021 violent attack on US Capitol building when rioters looked forward stopping smooth handover of power (source).
The Authors whilst speaking at conference warned about forthcoming election using trick Trump throughout his political career has employed for doubting an election’s validity in case it does not go well for him.
“You know right at this moment there is zero percent chance for free fair election in United States of America” said Mike Howell, Executive Director Oversight Project at the foundation (source).
The report drew alarm from experts who noted that there was no evidence indicating that Biden plans to hold on to presidency even after losing.
“This is gaslighting and it is dangerous in fanning flames that could lead to potential violence,” warned Rick Hasen, an election law expert and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (source).
Biden has made it clear he would accept the results of elections.
“He will accept the will of Americans, just like President Biden committed before,” his press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last month. “That’s a commitment from this president”.
The Biden campaign denounced this allegation on Thursday noting that its source was the same Conservative group behind Project 2025, which is nearly 1,000 pages long and contains “a blueprint for dismantling key parts of American government” including removing LGBTQ protections and putting more Christianity into society (Parami News). It added that they were laying groundwork for another stolen election.
According to James Singer, a spokesperson for the campaign, “This document is nothing short of an attempt to justify their attempts to suppress the vote, undermine the election and another January.”
