Summit in D.C.: Federal Officials Meet Election Activists, Discuss Midterm Intervention

A significant summit recently convened in Washington D.C., bringing together federal officials and individuals who previously contested the 2020 election results. The discussions centered on proposals for the president to declare a national emergency to oversee the upcoming midterm elections, alongside other controversial measures such as banning mail-in ballots and eliminating voting machines. This gathering marks a continuation of interactions between administration officials and conservative election activists.

Event Overview and Participants

The 30-person roundtable discussion took place on February 19 in downtown Washington, D.C., and was sponsored by the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a conservative think tank. Michael Flynn, former National Security Adviser and the institute’s chair, organized the event with the stated goal of assembling participants active in various states. Among the attendees was Cleta Mitchell, director of the Election Integrity Network, a group known for promoting claims of election fraud.

Six federal officials from agencies relevant to upcoming elections were present:

• Kurt Olsen: A White House lawyer involved in reinvestigating the 2020 election.
• Heather Honey: A Department of Homeland Security official, responsible for election integrity.
• Clay Parikh: A special government employee at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, assisting Olsen with the 2020 inquiry. An ODNI spokesperson clarified that Parikh attended "in his personal capacity."
• Mac Warner: Handled election litigation at the Justice Department. A department spokesperson confirmed Warner resigned the day after the event and had not received required ethics approval for his participation.
• Marci McCarthy: Communications director for the nation’s cyber defense agency, which oversees election infrastructure security.
• Kari Lake: Appointed as senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media and a featured speaker. Lake reportedly spoke for approximately 20 minutes on election integrity, describing it as a non-partisan issue, and departed before other speeches concluded.

Attendees reportedly dined together following the discussion.

Proposals for Federal Intervention

Participants at the summit advocated for assertive actions to influence the November vote.

Key proposals included pressing for the president to declare a national emergency to oversee this year’s midterm elections.

Some attendees reportedly concluded that such a declaration would circumvent the Constitution's directive for state-run elections. Michael Flynn has consistently championed the idea of a national emergency declaration.

In conjunction with the summit, activists associated with the event have circulated a draft executive order proposing to ban mail-in ballots and eliminate voting machines as part of a federal takeover of elections. A lawyer involved with the executive order confirmed these actions were central to the initiative.

Discussions among activists at the meeting reportedly revealed a division into two factions: one favoring an incremental legal and legislative approach, and another advocating for the president to declare a national emergency.

Context and Prior Interactions

This summit is part of a series of previously unreported private interactions between conservative election activists and administration officials, dating back to at least last fall. Many of these interactions involved Cleta Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network. Previous attempts to reshape elections through executive orders have largely been blocked by courts, and related legislation for strict voter ID requirements has stalled in Congress.

Official Responses and Expert Concerns

Five of the six federal officials present did not respond to inquiries about the event.

A White House official, speaking anonymously, stated that federal officials' attendance should not imply support for a national emergency declaration. The official mentioned that it is common practice for staff to communicate with outside advocates sharing policy ideas and referenced comments by the former president denying consideration of a national emergency or review of the draft executive order. The official characterized speculation about future administration policies as unsubstantiated.

The former president has previously expressed openness to a federal takeover to address projected Republican losses, stating in an interview that Republicans need "to take over" elections and "to nationalize the voting." A spokesperson for Michael Flynn responded to detailed questions by critiquing experts' concerns.

Election experts, including Brendan Fischer, a director at the Campaign Legal Center, indicated that this coordination between government insiders and external groups signifies a breakdown of established safeguards.

Fischer commented that the meeting suggests individuals who attempted to challenge the 2020 election are now more organized and integrated into government processes, creating a potential for improper influence on elections or actions against voter outcomes.

Will Huff, an advocate for eliminating voting machines, initially conveyed to a conservative vlogger that Olsen and other administration representatives would relay the gathering's "consensus" to the president, emphasizing a national emergency. Huff later clarified that Olsen and the president would use their judgment on declaring a national emergency, noting the former president had been briefed on election infrastructure shortcomings and that advisers aimed to ensure actions were constitutional, legal, and evidence-backed.

Ethics and Coordination Questions

Previously unreported emails obtained by ProPublica showed that weeks after Heather Honey joined the Department of Homeland Security, she briefed election activists, a Republican secretary of state, and another federal official on a conference call organized by Cleta Mitchell, her former boss. Both Honey and McCarthy were leaders in the Election Integrity Network before assuming their government roles.

Experts indicated that such a briefing likely violated ethics rules that were in place under previous administrations, including the first Trump administration, but not the current one. Fischer noted that prior ethics rules were designed to prevent former employers and clients from receiving privileged access.

Marci McCarthy posted on social media expressing solidarity with attendees, writing about "friendships forged through years of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, united by purpose and conviction" and that "The mission continues… and so does the fellowship."