Eric Holder: Trump Behaving like ‘Foreign Autocrat, Not an American President’

Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder accused President Donald Trump of conducting himself akin to a “foreign autocrat” as his reelection campaign continues to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.

“This is a period of maximum danger for our democracy,” Holder wrote in a statement Friday. “Tampering with county officials and inviting state legislators to the White House to discuss a plot to reverse the results of a free and fair election is the behavior of a foreign autocrat, not an American president.”

“This is a period of maximum danger for our democracy. Tampering with county officials and inviting state legislators to the White House to discuss a plot to reverse the results of a free and fair election is the behavior of a foreign autocrat, not an American president.” pic.twitter.com/TNGWXfyh0t

— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) November 20, 2020

Holder’s pointed accusations come as Michigan State House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) and Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) are expected to meet the president at the White House Friday. Chatfield took to social media to address the meeting, saying he wouldn’t turn down a meeting with a president regardless of political affiliation:

No matter the party, when you have an opportunity to meet with the President of the United States, of course you take it. I won’t apologize for that. In fact, I’m honored to speak with POTUS and proud to meet with him. And I look forward to our conversation. 🇺🇸

— Lee Chatfield (@LeeChatfield) November 20, 2020

“No matter the party, when you have an opportunity to meet with the President of the United States, of course you take it,” Chatfield tweeted. “I won’t apologize for that. In fact, I’m honored to speak with POTUS and proud to meet with him. And I look forward to our conversation.”

The White House has not commented on the nature of the meeting between President Trump and Michigan lawmakers, though the group is expected to discuss the election results.

This week, two Republican members of the Wayne County, Michigan, Board of Canvassers rescinded their votes to certify the election results, alleging they were bullied into changing their initial votes.

On Thursday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) claimed there is “no legal avenue” for the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to switch their votes.

Benson told MSNBC’s Live, “Notably, there are a lot of protocols in place under which the canvas and the county board meet. It has to be an open meeting. There has to be a vote taken, there has to be an adjournment. All of those things lead into an official certification, and all those things have happened here. So there is really no legal avenue for any type of overturning of that.”