Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice During 2000 Recount Warns Trump Poses 'grave And Real Threat To Democracy'

“I set out my concepts proper right here because of I am compelled to think about that our nation, and thus our kids and grandchildren, face a grave menace to sustaining the kind of guide democracy that we now have expert in our life,” Charles Wells wrote in a letter despatched to mates this weekend and provided to CNN. “I do not think about that we now have had as vital a menace all through our lives.”

Wells served on the Florida Supreme Court docket docket in the midst of the recount of the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore and retired in 2009. He notes that although he was appointed to the state’s Supreme Court docket docket by Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, he dissented with the Florida Supreme Court docket docket majority that favored a recount, primarily siding with the Bush advertising marketing campaign. His dissent was well-known by the majority throughout the US Supreme Court docket docket that lastly stopped the recount.

Wells added that he believes solely a significant victory by Joe Biden will cease Trump from succeeding in undermining the legitimacy of the election.

“The one strategy that I can see that this menace could also be eradicated is to vote for Biden,” Wells wrote. “It isn’t going to be adequate to easily not vote for Trump. Any basis for a contested election can solely truly be eradicated is by the election not being shut. “

Chatting with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day” Monday, Wells acknowledged he has points that this yr’s election might very effectively be rather more contested than 2000.

“The issue that moreover bothers me is the statements that there’s not going to be, if Trump loses the election, a peaceful transfer of power,” Wells acknowledged, together with, “We’re relying upon people voting and folks votes being counted expeditiously.”

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Democrats in newest weeks have prepared for approved challenges throughout the event Trump contests election outcomes. They’re bracing for a wide range of scenarios, defending each half from Trump attempting to deploy federal regulation enforcement officers to the polls, to Republican state legislatures overruling a state’s well-liked vote, to Trump declaring victory on election evening time when tens of thousands and thousands of mail-in ballots nonetheless should be counted.

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