Democrat election attorney Marc Elias launched an ad hominem attack against Arizona Sun Times reporter Rachel Alexander on X (formerly Twitter) Monday. Alexander has a well deserved reputation as one of the country’s leading reporters on election integrity and lawfare against conservative attorneys. Alexander’s reporting, and some of her subsequent comments on X, have drawn the ire of Elias, who has built a career out of partisan litigation against any election laws and regulations that do not benefit the Democrat Party or Democrat candidates.
On Friday, Alexander, a former Maricopa County Elections attorney, reported in a story published at The Sun Times that “far-left” Maricopa County Judge John Hannah issued a ruling denying Senate candidate Kari Lake’s request to inspect ballot affidavit envelopes from her 2022 gubernatorial election.
On Monday, Alexander posted on X that “knowledgeable people are telling me they think Marc Elias wrote the judge’s opinion.”
I'm sure I will get slammed for saying this, but knowledgeable people are telling me they think Marc Elias wrote the judge's opinion. Yeah yeah yeah I realize that would be unethical, and you shouldn't accuse judges of doing unethical things (thank goodness I'm not a licensed… https://t.co/Cew66r2MpN
— Rachel Alexander (@Rach_IC) December 2, 2023
Alexander acknowledged the gravity of the claim made to her by “knowledgeable people” and said that she would likely “get slammed” for the post. She explained, “I’m a reporter and I’m just letting people know what some top attorneys are telling me.”
In response, Elias (pictured above) tweeted the following to Alexander: “You are nuts. Get yourself some help, really.” Elias also highlighted Alexander’s tweet and profile to his 800,000 plus followers.
After Elias replied to Alexander, the number of replies to her original post swelled to over 900. Popular replies include those made by a “global resistance” supporter and a lawyer from New York, though others questioned Elias’ ethics and lent credence to the rumor.
Additionally, Elias’ post received more than 500 responses, though many were critical of Elias, with one user cautioning him, “as an attorney, you’d think you’d know better than to defame anyone, especially in writing.”
Elias did not acknowledge Alexander’s subsequent post, which noted that Elias is “behind massive election fraud denying litigation all over the country, whether through his Elias Law Group, Democracy Docket, or other associated litigation colleagues including his buddies at Perkins Coie.”
Alexander also noted that Elias was sanctioned in 2021 by the 5th Circuit, providing a Washington Examiner report explaining he was accused of filing a redundant and misleading submission and violating his ethical “duty of candor” to the court when representing the Democratic Party in a lawsuit seeking to overturn a Texas law banning straight-ticket voting, which would allow Texans to vote for a single party’s candidates by checking one box.
If I am mentally ill, then why did @marceelias bother responding to me at all? For those who don't know who he is, he's behind massive election fraud denying litigation all over the country, whether through his Elias Law Group, Democracy Docket, or other associated litigation… https://t.co/yuT32UVAf6
— Rachel Alexander (@Rach_IC) December 4, 2023
In an unrelated development, Elias also reportedly separated from both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Biden administration sometime in 2023. Axios reported in July that the parties developed an acrimonious relationship due to Elias’ apparent preference for legal actions that are “emotionally satisfying and make for good headlines” but can backfire in court.
The outlet also reported that Elias, despite representing the DNC and working with Biden’s team, would often file lawsuits without consulting either party. They would reportedly sometimes learn of Elias’ legal machinations by watching MSNBC or seeing his posts on social media.
Additionally, Axios reported that President Joe Biden’s “team” became “frustrated by Elias’ big bills,” with Elias’ former firm, Perkins Coie, receiving more than $20 million during the 2020 election cycle. One anonymous source told the outlet that Elias “created a legal strategy he has convinced people is a political strategy,” but it is “actually a business strategy.”
Prior to parting ways with the DNC, it was reported by the Free Beacon in April that the party paid him “over $1.9 million” in “this cycle alone.” The outlet reported that Elias had worked for the DNC since 2009.
Before Elias parted ways with the DNC and Biden’s team, radio and television host Steve Bannon warned viewers that Elias is “pure evil,” but also “smart” and “tough” in a December 2021 episode of his “War Room” program. Bannon added that Elias is “crazy, but he’s a fighter,” calling it an admirable trait.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Marc Elias” by Elias Law Group. Background Photo “Courtroom” by Clyde Robinson. CC BY 2.0.
