Biden's transition, no official recognition of Trump 6:19
(CNN) -
US President Donald Trump would join his lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Republican state legislators will hold a "hearing" on the fraud allegations in this month's election, Two sources familiar with the plans told CNN.
Trump expressed great interest in joining Giuliani for the trip and directed his assistants to make plans for him to travel to Pennsylvania, multiple sources said.
The trip, which would be the president's first out of the Washington area since Election Day, was not on the public calendar released by the White House Tuesday night, but is being handled internally as an unannounced move.
ANALYSIS |
Trump's effort to steal the election is over
The event is the latest attempt by Trump and his allies to undermine confidence in the 2020 elections and attack the legitimacy of the election of Joe Biden as president.
This will be the event in Pennsylvania
The Trump campaign and Pennsylvania Senate Republicans announced plans Tuesday for the Gettysburg event, a meeting of the Pennsylvania Senate Majority Policy Committee, which they see as an effort to expose "wrongdoing" in the Pennsylvania election. 2020. The Pennsylvania State Senate Republican Party is hosting the meeting, which will be held in a hotel, not the State Capitol.
State and local election officials have said there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud and both a federal court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have dismissed lawsuits seeking to prevent the state from certifying election results.
Pennsylvania officially certified the results Tuesday, sealing Biden's victory in the key state.
Trump and Giuliani have made unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud and delved into conspiracy theories alleging a plot to rig the vote.
State and local election officials across the country have refuted the allegations, as has the top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security.
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Trump fired that official, Chris Krebs, after he confirmed a statement claiming that the 2020 elections were "the safest" in US history.
When asked for a comment on the president's plan to attend the event, White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere told CNN: “I would refer you to tomorrow's public program.
I have no additional updates at this time.
Fact Check: Giuliani and Trump's Savage Legal Team Press Conference
Other similar events
This is the first of three similar events the Trump campaign has scheduled in coordination with Republican state legislators in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan.
There is no evidence that widespread voter fraud has occurred in any of those states despite frequent assertions by Trump and his allies.
It is unclear whether Trump will speak at the event, which according to his campaign is also expected to include "testimonies from witnesses who have submitted affidavits attesting to the 2020 election fraud."
The location of Trump's visit is surprising.
Gettysburg is the site of the most famous battle of the Civil War, in which the Union repulsed a Confederate invasion from the north.
The battle culminated in a failed troop charge under the command of Confederate General George Pickett, repelled by American forces.
Just two days after the General Services Administration allowed the presidential transition to proceed, Trump's visit indicates once again that he has no intention of dropping his accusations about the election or awarding Biden the race.
One source warned that plans for the visit could change because the White House is handling the trip as an unplanned "off the record" move.
Trump is also considering attending a similar event in Michigan next week.
The Michigan State Board of Electors certified Biden's victory in that state on Monday after Trump's legal efforts and a lobbying campaign on state and local officials collapsed.
CNN's Jim Acosta and Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.
Elections 2020 United States
