Unmarked texts that appear to be linked to a Republican firm urged President TrumpDonald John TrumpBiden claims a ‘mandate’ to govern, calls for end to ‘partisan warfare’ Mark Meadows tests positive for coronavirus Georgia Senate race between Perdue, Ossoff heads to runoff MORE’s supporters to protest in Philadelphia Thursday outside of a building where ballots were being counted, The Washington Post reported Friday.
The messages were sent from phone numbers that had been leased by Opn Sesame, a firm run by the Trump campaign’s digital director Gary Coby that offers texting services to GOP candidates and causes, a person familiar with the matter told the Post.
“ALERT: Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump!” the message reportedly stated. “We need YOU! Show your support at the corner of 12th St. & Arch St. in Philadelphia.”
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The messages were sent in the hours before Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden claims a ‘mandate’ to govern, calls for end to ‘partisan warfare’ Mark Meadows tests positive for coronavirus Trump supporters scream at Telemundo reporter during live broadcast from Maricopa ballot center MORE took the lead in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, the Post reported. Ballots are still being counted in the state as of Friday morning.
Coby and a spokesman for the Trump campaign declined to comment to the Post. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Hill on Friday.
Coby’s LinkedIn page lists him as the CEO of Opn Sesame and the digital director for Trump’s reelection campaign.
It is unclear which of Opn Sesame’s clients sent the message, and the company does not disclose its full list of users, the Post reported. The company has worked on behalf of Republican clients, including the Republican National Committee which has reported roughly $4 million to Opn Sesame over the course of this year’s election, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The Trump campaign’s filings with the Federal Election Commission do not show payments to Opn Sesame, but a complaint filed this summer by ethics watchdog group Campaign Legal Center alleged that the campaign was using conduits set up and run by Brad ParscaleBradley (Brad) James ParscaleAides tried to get Trump to stop attacking McCain in hopes of clinching Arizona: report MORE, the former campaign manager, to pay subcontractors, the Post noted. Opn Sesame is among those subcontractors, according to the complaint.
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The message in the unmarked texts echo the narrative Trump and his allies have been pushing this week as results are tabulated in Pennsylvania and other swing states.
On Wednesday, Facebook and Twitter labeled posts from Eric TrumpEric Frederick TrumpUnmarked texts linked to GOP firm urged vote protests in Pennsylvania: report Trump has not prepared a concession speech: report Senate Republicans sit quietly as Trump challenges vote counts MORE, one of the president’s two adult sons, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claiming victory in Pennsylvania, while more than 1 million mail-in ballots were still uncounted at the time.
Facebook also took action to take down a group called Stop the Steal that spread pro-Trump election misinformation and was reportedly tied to Woman for America First, a nonprofit organized to protest against Trump’s impeachment. The platform took the group down on Thursday, after it had accumulated well over 300,000 members.
Trump himself has also sought to cast doubt on the results, both online and in a public address. He delivered a speech from the White House Thursday evening claiming the election was being stolen from him without providing any direct evidence of fraud.
As Biden took a lead in Pennsylvania on Friday morning as more ballots from Philadelphia were counted, the Trump campaign issued a statement announcing the election was not over and hinted at future challenges in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada.
“This election is not over. The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final,” said Trump 2020 campaign general counsel Matt Morgan.