US President Donald Trump predicts 'lot of litigation' in fight to keep his job

President Donald Trump is looking at a political map in which he might have to persuade Supreme Court to set aside votes in two or more states to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president.

That’s a substantially different scenario than in contested presidential election of 2000, which was effectively settled by Supreme Court. n, entire fight was over Florida’s electoral votes and involved a recount as opposed to trying to halt initial counting of ballots.

Trump's campaign and Republicans already are mounting legal challenges in several states, although most are small-scale lawsuits that do t appear to affect many votes.

Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed campaign lawsuits Thursday, undercutting a campaign legal strategy to attack integrity of voting process in states where result could mean Trump’s defeat.

rulings came as Biden inched closer to 270 Electoral College votes needed to win White House.

Trump and his campaign promised even more legal action, making unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud.

Speaking in White House briefing room Thursday, president launched into a litany of claims, without proof, about how Democrats were trying to unfairly deprive him of a second term. “But we think re’ll be a lot of litigation because we can't have an election stolen like this,” Trump said, suggesting that Supreme Court might eventually decide election.

Biden, for his part, has said he expects to win election, but he counselled patience Thursday, saying: “Each ballot must be counted.”

Earlier Thursday, a Biden campaign lawyer called lawsuits meritless, more political strategy than legal. “I want to emphasize that for ir purposes se lawsuits don’t have to have merit. That’s t purpose. ... It is to create an opportunity for m to mess falsely about what’s taking place in electoral process,” lawyer Bob Bauer said, accusing Trump campaign of “continually alleging irregularities, failures of system and fraud without any basis.”

Trump is used to suing and being sued. A USA Today analysis found that he and his businesses were involved in at least 3,500 state and federal court actions in three decades before he became president.

In one case dismissed Thursday, a Michigan judge ted that state's ballot count is over as she tossed campaign's lawsuit to get a closer look at local elections officials as y process absentee ballots.

In Georgia, a state judge dismissed a case over concerns about 53 absentee ballots in Chatham County after elections officials in Savannah-area county testified that all of those ballots had been received on time. Campaign officials said earlier y were considering similar challenges in a dozen or counties around state.

In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, Trump campaign won an appellate ruling to get party and campaign observers closer to election workers who are processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia.

But order did t affect counting of ballots that is proceeding in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, as elections officials are dealing with an avalanche of mail ballots driven by fears of voting in person during a pandemic.

Trump campaign officials, meanwhile, accused Democrats of trying to steal election, despite evidence anything of sort was taking place.

Trump campaign manr Bill Stepien, in a call with reporters Thursday morning, said that “every night president goes to bed with a lead” and every night new votes “are mysteriously found in a sack.” It is quite common in presidential elections to have vote-counting continue after election day.

Trump’s campaign has also anunced that it will ask for a recount in Wisconsin. Stepien previously cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” without providing specifics.

Trump campaign filed a new federal lawsuit after hours Thursday in Nevada, alleging that ineligible votes were cast in Las Vegas area, biggest Democratic stronghold in an orwise predominantly GOP state.

Associated Press called Wisconsin and Michigan for Biden on Wednesday. AP has t called Georgia, Nevada or Pennsylvania.

president's lawyers have asked to intervene in a pending Republican appeal to Supreme Court over three-day extension for receipt and counting of mailed ballots ordered by Pennsylvania's top court. Democrats in state told justices Thursday that y should put off granting request because y “may well t need to hear and decide” matter if Pennsylvania is t critical to outcome or late-arriving ballots wouldn't make a difference.

(Im: AP)