Cleta Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 44th district | |
| In office 1976–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Mina Hibdon |
| Succeeded by | Carolyn Thompson Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cleta Deatherage September 16, 1950 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1996) Independent (1996) Republican (1996–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Duane Draper (1973–1982) Dale Mitchell (1984–present) |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (BA, JD) |
Cleta B. Deatherage Mitchell (née Deatherage; born September 16, 1950) is an American lawyer, former politician, and Republican elections activist.[1] Elected in 1976, Mitchell served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives until 1984, representing District 44 as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1996, she registered as a Republican.[2] Since then, she has worked as a Republican lawyer and activist focused on elections, asserting that Democrats win elections only by cheating.[3]
After Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Mitchell aided Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the election results and pressure election officials to "find" sufficient votes for him to win.[2] After participating in a telephone call in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to alter the election results in Georgia (which was won by Biden), Mitchell resigned as a partner at Foley & Lardner.[4][5] In 2021, she set up an escrow fund to funnel money to companies conducting a pro-Trump "audit" into Arizona's 2020 election. Since then, she has pushed for election law changes in Georgia that would hinder quick reporting of election results and make it easier to delay certification of election results.[6]
- ^ Berzon, Alexandra (May 30, 2022). "Lawyer Who Plotted to Overturn Trump Loss Recruits Election Deniers to Watch Over the Vote". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Michael S.; Vogel, Kenneth P. (January 5, 2021). "Trump Lawyer on Call Is a Conservative Firebrand Aiding His Push to Overturn Election". The New York Times.
- ^ Berzon, Alexandra (May 30, 2022). "Lawyer Who Plotted to Overturn Trump Loss Recruits Election Deniers to Watch Over the Vote". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ Kranish, Michael (January 5, 2021). "Cleta Mitchell, who advised Trump on Saturday phone call, resigns from law firm". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Polants, Katelyn (January 5, 2021). "Attorney who assisted Trump on call with Georgia officials resigns from law firm". CNN. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Clark, Doug Bock (August 18, 2024). "Election Deniers Secretly Pushed Rule That Would Make It Easier to Delay Certification of Georgia's Election Results". ProPublica. Retrieved August 18, 2024.