How a Dominion Voting Systems Lawyer Libby Locke Became the Latest Battle in the Donald Trump-Ron DeSantis War

The feud between Donald Trump And Ron DeSantis—silently simmering for months—surprise exploded this week with MAGAworld’s all-out assault on the governor of Florida.

And why it’s unexpected: DeSantis associates itself with a dominate lawyer voting machine.

On Tuesday morning, DeSantis convened a roundtable in Miami, focusing on what his office called “the disastrous impact of defamation from the old media.” Sitting among the conservative panelists was Elizabeth “Libby” Locke, an attorney who has represented clients such as Sarah Palin and James O’Keefe Project Veritas team against The New York Times.

DeSantis said Locke is “an extraordinary man when it comes to First Amendment libel.” What he didn’t say is that Locke currently represents Dominion Voting Systemcurrently suing Trumpworld key figures—like Rudy Giuliani and CEO MyPillow Mike Lindell—for making bogus claims that the company’s technology somehow stole the 2020 election from Trump.

In a Republican party where Trump’s election fraud and 2020 obsession still linger, DeSantis’ promotion of attorney to one of the former president’s top public enemies has driven Trumpworld insane. crazy.

“That’s disgusting!” Lindell exclaimed in a phone interview with The Daily Beast. “She is a liar. She was part of the lie,” Lindell said of Locke, before clarifying that “The big lie To be Big lie.

As Trump and DeSantis face a possible battle in the 2024 presidential primaries, Lindell sees the governor’s relationship with Locke as a deadly political weakness.

“The fact that DeSantis colluded with a Dominion attorney has outraged the American people,” he continued. “DeSantis has lost every chance to run,” Lindell added before urging the Florida governor to “support Donald Trump now.”

Others, such as lawyers enthusiastically support Trump Joseph D. McBride—who represents the January 6 riot defendants—told The Daily Beast in a phone interview that DeSantis was “self-destructive” by welcoming a Dominion attorney.

“How the hell did he beat Trump in the primaries when he just gave Dominion a seat at the table? I just don’t see it happening,” he continued.

When asked if he views DeSantis giving up his seat to Locke as a deliberate act against Trump, McBride said it most certainly.

“Yes, I think it’s a thumb in the eye,” McBride said. “I think that’s his way of saying that all that election stuff is nonsense and ‘This is my way of saying passively-actively that I think the election doesn’t have any problems’, ” he added about DeSantis.

While Trump’s most staunch supporters are still outraged about the 2020 election—and Trump himself continues to talk about it almost daily—it’s clearly no longer a pressing topic for him. many GOP voters. In the 2022 election, several Trump-backed Republicans challenging those who opposed Trump’s election failed spectacularly. And many of the voting deniers who won their primaries went up in flames in the November election.

Meanwhile, DeSantis has positioned itself as a right-wing alternative for Republican voters looking to move on from Trump and the non-stop talk in 2020. Despite Trumpworld’s suspicions, it’s still unclear. whether the governor intentionally trolls the former president. Neither a spokesperson for Trump nor a spokesperson for DeSantis responded to The Daily Beast’s request for comment. Locke could not be successfully contacted for comment by phone or email.

However, that didn’t stop more Trumpworld characters from appearing on the DeSantis board on Tuesday.

“DeSantis doesn’t just troll Trump,” Jan. 6 organizer Ali Alexander Written on Twitter. “Now he’s trolling us.” He also accused DeSantis of “using [the] same font as Truth Social” when it comes to the image behind the governor during the roundtable.

Former Trump Administration Official Sebastian Gorka answered, “What???????” while arousing the outrage of MAGA internet residents. Trump’s longtime adviser Rock Roger also called DeSantis’ Locke invitation “tone deaf”.

“Why would DeSantis agree to this?” Voting company leaning more conservative Rasmussen request.

Likewise, anti-Muslim activist and staunch pro-Trump Laura Loomer speak DeSantis organization lawyers were “really sick.”

“It really confirms what I’ve been saying for a long time,” added Loomer. “DeSantis doesn’t care about voter fraud, issues with electronic voting machines, and he doesn’t care about freedom of speech.”

For Locke, her record of successfully winning lawsuits against media companies is something of a mixed bag. Most notably, Locke succesful Rolling Stone magazine after it published a report alleging gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity, which journalists, police and university officials later discredited. In 2017, Rolling Stone agree with a solve the secret with a UVA dean they have defamed.

Since then, Locke has also failed. Her lawsuit on behalf of Palin against The New York Times Have trippingly through the courts while her client Project Veritas was ordered pay $149,596 in August 2022, after a defamation failed lawsuit against Stanford University. (Project Veritas said at the time it would appeal the ruling.) On Tuesday, she grapples with what she believes is a justice system that fights conservatives.

“The point is, at every stage of the legal process, from the moment you file your complaint, through through the appeals process, the thumb is in favor of the press,” said Locke furiously. “Judges are very concerned about applying the law in a way that benefits, or even, forehand, a defamation plaintiff.”

Tuesday’s outburst over Locke’s involvement in representing the Dominion Voting System was the latest in a series of attacks against the Florida governor by Trump allies and as the governor left open the possibility running for president against Trump in 2024.

On Tuesday alone, Trump amplified a claim that DeSantis allegedly engaged in “grooming.” [of] High school girl.”

But even before this week, Trump attacked DeSantis late last year for “Play The Game” when it comes to dodging whether he will run for president in 2024. The governor then responded, directing the former president to “check scoreboard.”