Christina Bobb Explained

Birth Name:Christina Gabrielle Bobb
Birth Date:4 November 1982
Birth Place:Michigan, U.S.
Module:
Embed:yes
Branch:United States Marine Corps
Serviceyears:2009–2012

Christina Bobb (born November 4, 1982)[1] is an American lawyer, television personality and Republican Party official. She gained prominence for her television promotion of president Donald Trump and involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and promotion of the false allegation that the election had been stolen from Trump by fraud. She was involved in the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents. Prior to working as a Trump attorney, she was an executive secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and in 2020 became an anchor at One America News Network, a far-right, pro-Trump cable channel. The Republican National Committee named Bobb to lead its election integrity program in March 2024. Bobb and seventeen other Arizona Republicans and Trump associates were indicted in April 2024 for their alleged involvement in the Trump fake electors plot to subvert the 2020 presidential election.

Early life and education

Bobb was born in Michigan as the younger of two girls. She attended high school in Phoenix, Arizona, graduating early to attend the University of Arizona.[2] She was a member of the UA Wildcats soccer team in 2000 and 2001 as a reserve goalkeeper, before transferring to Texas Christian University. She played goalkeeper for TCU's Horned Frogs in 2002.[3]

According to her Department of Homeland Security (DHS) biography, Bobb was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2008 after studying at the California Western School of Law,[4] [5] and earned a master's degree in national security law from Georgetown University Law Center[4] prior to serving in the United States Marine Corps as a judge advocate.[4]

Career

Bobb completed officer candidate school in August 2009 and was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps as a second lieutenant. She then completed The Basic School in May 2010 and then went on to the Naval Justice School.[6] She subsequently served as a judge advocate, where among other duties, she provided legal advice to military commanders in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Bobb left the Marine Corps two years later.[7]

In 2014, Bobb ran for Congress as an independent in California's 53rd district. She came in last among the eight candidates in the blanket primary, with just 929 out of 88,953 votes. According to the Federal Election Commission, Bobb filed no paperwork with it, which is required if a candidate spends or raises over $5,000 in campaign activity.

In 2018, Bobb started working as an executive secretary for the DHS. According to her former boss Miles Taylor, Bobb clashed with DHS officials by weighing in on issues such as counterterrorism, which were viewed as repeated efforts to exceed her mandate. Some DHS officials expressed concern about trusting Bobb with certain types of classified information due to her being "mega MAGA".

One America News Network

In June 2020, Bobb was hired by One America News Network (OANN), a far-right, pro-Trump cable channel that is known for promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories. She first covered the White House and then hosted Weekly Briefing with Christina Bobb, a weekend political talk show.

The New York Times reported that Bobb "emerged as one of [Trump's] truest of true believers, embracing conspiracy theories with a fervor that has at times seemed over the top even to her colleagues." Trump himself believed Bobb was too flattering of him during some interviews.[8]

After the 2020 presidential election, Bobb promoted Trump's baseless allegations of election fraud and volunteered for Trump's legal team while also reporting for OANN. Rudy Giuliani said in an October 2021 deposition that Bobb had to run stories she developed past the Trump campaign so that they "didn't violate any of our rules or whatever".[9]

On OANN, Bobb promoted the Republican 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit that sought to find evidence of election fraud against Trump. Arizona Republicans granted OANN exclusive rights to livestream the proceedings. Bobb hosted a February 2021 program named "The Arizona Election Heist" which contained numerous false or dubious allegations of election fraud. Bobb and OANN colleague Chanel Rion co-founded a nonprofit organization that raised $605,000 to support the audit. The organization also provided volunteers for the audit effort, which ultimately found no evidence of fraud.[10] [11] [12]

In August 2021, Bobb and Rion were named in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against OANN for promoting false claims that the company had engaged in election fraud.[13] According to the company's complaint, Bobb joined Rion in "falsely accusing Dominion of rigging the election and stealing it from Trump" while "simultaneously and covertly moonlighting as a Trump campaign advisor". Some of Bobb's on-air segments were also referenced in a similar lawsuit filed by Smartmatic against OANN.[14]

In March 2022, Bobb announced she would be leaving OANN to work for Trump's Save America political action committee. Since May 2022 she has covered Trump rallies for the pro-Trump Right Side Broadcasting Network.[15]

Involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election

See main article: Trump fake electors plot. Bobb was present in the Willard Hotel "command center" where top Trump associates worked to prevent Joe Biden's election from being certified on January 6, 2021.[16] [17] The Washington Post reported in January 2022 that Bobb worked with Rudy Giuliani and other Trump campaign officials in December 2020 to execute a plan for Republicans in seven states to create fraudulent certificates of ascertainment to falsely assert Trump had been reelected.[18] [19]

In July 2022, Politico acquired an email that Bobb sent on December 13, 2020, to several Trump attorneys and allies, the day before electors met across the country to certify their states' election results. It discussed how the Trump campaign director of election day operations Mike Roman had spoken with teams in seven states Biden had won who were focused on the effort to appoint false electors. Roman reported developments to Bobb, who then relayed them to recipients that included Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Boris Epshteyn and one-time Trump attorneys Joe diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing. Bobb discussed difficulties false electors were having in gaining access to state buildings where they could convene. She alleged that "Democrats are voting by Zoom" and that "Dems getting a police escort to cast ballots" by 200 Michigan state police officers.[20]

By March 2023, prosecutors for the Georgia election racketeering prosecution that later indicted Trump, Giuliani, Ellis, Roman and fifteen others sought to interview Bobb, but her attorney John Lauro indicated she would decline.[21]

On April 24, 2024, Bobb and seventeen others were indicted on nine felony counts each of fraud, forgery and conspiracy in connection with the 2020 Arizona fake electors plot that attempted to reverse Trump's 2020 presidential election loss in Arizona.[22] [23] [24] On May 21, 2024, Bobb and 10 others pled not guilty after being arraigned in Maricopa County Superior Court.[25] [26] However, Bobb was among five of these eleven defendants who appeared virtually rather than in-person.[27]

Trump's handling of classified documents

See main article: FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents. On May 11, 2022, the DOJ subpoenaed Trump for "any and all documents or writings in the custody or control of Donald J. Trump and/or the Office of Donald J. Trump bearing classification markings".[28]

Investigators from the DOJ and the FBI met with Trump's attorneys at Mar-a-Lago on June 3 about the classified material that was subpoenaed on May 11. During this meeting, Bobb, who was Trump's custodian of records, gave the DOJ a signed declaration that had been drafted by Evan Corcoran, attesting that all classified material had been returned.[29] As it turned out, the declaration had been drafted by Corcoran and handed to Bobb, who insisted on adding caveats because she had not done the search herself.[30] Two months later, after the falsehood came to light, The New York Times reported that the signed declaration possibly indicated that Trump's legal team had not been forthright with federal investigators about the material.[31] As of September 16, 2022, investigators had not decided whether to pursue a criminal inquiry against Bobb and Corcoran.[32]

In October 2022, multiple news agencies reported that Bobb was speaking with federal investigators in connection to the Mar-a-Lago probe.[33] [34] [35] According to Bobb, Corcoran told her that he had conducted a thorough search of Mar-a-Lago before asking her to certify that all of the requested records had been returned.[36]

In February 2023, Bobb testified before a grand jury in connection with the investigation.[37]

Republican National Committee

The Republican National Committee voted to name Trump loyalists Michael Whatley and Lara Trump to lead the organization on March 8, 2024. After dozens of employees were quickly discharged, Bobb was named senior counsel for election integrity on March 12.[38] [39] The Washington Post reported after Bobb's April 2024 indictment that she was not likely to leave her RNC position, but rather her indictment "solidifies her identity as a dedicated Trump loyalist who fiercely fought to reverse his loss in the politically competitive state and potentially elevates her role within the RNC to help him win in November."[40]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: April 18, 2013 . Player Bio: Christina Bobb :: Women's Soccer . 2023-09-02 . University of Arizona Athletics . en . September 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220924130610/https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2013/4/18/208208113 . live .
  2. Web site: Abdollah . Tami . August 31, 2022 . How Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, an ex-OAN host, took spotlight in Mar-a-Lago case . subscription . live . https://archive.today/20220831125810/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/08/31/trump-mar-lago-document-investigation-christina-bobb/7879225001/?gnt-cfr=1 . August 31, 2022 . 2023-09-02 . . en-US.
  3. Web site: Christina Bobb - Women's Soccer. TCU Athletics. April 8, 2024. March 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240314042158/https://gofrogs.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/christina-bobb/6467. live.
  4. Web site: Christina Bobb | Homeland Security. www.dhs.gov. September 3, 2023. September 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230903014755/https://www.dhs.gov/person/christina-bobb. live.
  5. Web site: Ankel . Sophia . September 10, 2022 . Meet Christina Bobb — former OAN presenter, 2020 election denier, and Trump's latest attorney to face legal trouble . 2023-09-02 . . en-US . September 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220930125058/https://www.businessinsider.com/christina-bobb-profile-trump-lawyer-former-oan-presenter-2022-9 . live .
  6. News: 2010-06-22 . Bobb is a JAG officer at Quantico . en . . live . 2023-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201105223709/https://www.ahwatukee.com/community_focus/neighbors/article_0c4b86aa-7d7d-11df-af3f-001cc4c03286.html . 2020-11-05.
  7. News: Thrush . Glenn . Glenn Thrush . Haberman . Maggie . Maggie Haberman . Schmidt . Michael S. . Michael S. Schmidt . 2022-10-11 . She Went Out on a Limb for Trump. Now She's Under Justice Dept. Scrutiny. . en-US . . live . 2023-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230728015226/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/us/politics/christina-bobb-trump-lawyer-investigation.html . 2023-07-28 . 0362-4331.
  8. News: She Went Out on a Limb for Trump. Now She's Under Justice Dept. Scrutiny.. The New York Times. October 11, 2022. Glenn Thrush. Maggie Haberman. Michael S. Schmidt. September 28, 2023. July 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230728015226/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/us/politics/christina-bobb-trump-lawyer-investigation.html. live.
  9. News: Baragona . Justin . 2021-10-04 . Giuliani Claims Trump Campaign Had Veto Power Over OAN Reporter's Stories . en . . 2023-09-02 . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902040032/https://www.thedailybeast.com/giuliani-claims-trump-campaign-had-veto-power-over-oan-reporters-stories . live .
  10. News: Jerod . MacDonald-Evoy . Arizona Mirror . June 7, 2022 . OAN correspondents' organization supplied volunteers for the Arizona "audit" . 1 July 2022 . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902040032/https://www.azmirror.com/2022/06/07/oan-correspondents-organization-supplied-volunteers-for-the-arizona-audit/ . live .
  11. News: Duda . Jeremy . OANN report on Maricopa County election riddled with falsehoods . Arizona Mirror . February 23, 2021 . April 8, 2024 . March 14, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240314044823/https://azmirror.com/briefs/oann-report-on-maricopa-county-election-riddled-with-falsehoods/ . live .
  12. News: Mimms . Sarah . Pro-Trump OAN Reporters Are Blatantly Raising Money For A Bogus Election "Audit" In Arizona . BuzzFeed News . May 18, 2021 . April 8, 2024 . July 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210728212635/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sarahmimms/arizona-election-results-oan-reporters-fundraising . live .
  13. News: Pruitt-Young . Sharon . August 10, 2021 . The 2020 Election is Back in Court, as Dominion Sues Conservative Media Outlets . . September 2, 2023 . December 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221230030112/https://www.npr.org/2021/08/10/1026509404/dominion-sues-conservative-media-oan-newsmax-2020-election?t=1629645584617 . live .
  14. Web site: Holmes . Kristen . Strauss . Daniel . Cohen . Marshall . 2024-03-13 . RNC to add new lawyers focusing on claims of election fraud – including one key figure from 2020 challenges CNN Politics . 2024-03-14 . CNN . en . April 6, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240406205442/https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/politics/rnc-trump-takeover-lawyers-election/index.html . live .
  15. News: Trump's legal team divided over how to handle Mar-a-Lago case. The Washington Post. September 30, 2022. Rosalind S. Helderman. Josh Dawsey. Carol D. Leonnig. Perry Stein. March 14, 2024. May 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230517163417/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/30/trump-lawyers-kise-corcoran-bobb/. live.
  16. News: Alemany . Jacqueline . Brown . Emma . Hamburger . Tom . Swaine . Jon . October 23, 2021 . Ahead of Jan. 6, Willard hotel in downtown D.C. was a Trump team 'command center' for effort to deny Biden the presidency . . live . December 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211026024450/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/willard-trump-eastman-giuliani-bannon/2021/10/23/c45bd2d4-3281-11ec-9241-aad8e48f01ff_story.html . October 26, 2021.
  17. News: Suebsaeng . Asawin . Tani . Maxwell . Stein . Sam . November 24, 2020 . An OAN Host Has Been Helping Rudy With Trump's Legal Efforts . en . . live . January 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210107160016/https://www.thedailybeast.com/oan-host-christina-bobb-has-been-helping-rudy-giuliani-with-trumps-legal-efforts . January 7, 2021.
  18. News: Reinhard . Beth . Gardner . Amy . Dawsey . Josh . Brown . Emma . Helderman . Rosalind S. . January 20, 2022 . As Giuliani coordinated plan for Trump electoral votes in states Biden won, some electors balked . The Washington Post . live . January 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121151123/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/electors-giuliani-trump-electoral-college/2022/01/20/687e3698-7587-11ec-8b0a-bcfab800c430_story.html . January 21, 2022.
  19. News: Cohen . Marshall . Cohen . Zachary . Merica . Dan . January 20, 2022 . Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw fake electors plot in 7 states . CNN . live . January 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220120212949/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/politics/trump-campaign-officials-rudy-giuliani-fake-electors/index.html . January 20, 2022.
  20. News: Woodruff Swan . Betsy . July 21, 2022 . Top Trump lawyers briefed in detail on alternate elector plot on Dec. 13, 2020 . . March 10, 2023 . July 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220725194926/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/21/top-trump-lawyers-briefed-on-granular-details-of-alternate-elector-plot-00047107 . live .
  21. News: Fulton County prosecutors probing election now seek to question Trump attorney, sources say. ABC News. March 20, 2023. Will Steakin. Katherine Faulders. Olivia Rubin. March 14, 2024. March 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240304233843/https://abcnews.go.com/US/fulton-county-prosecutors-now-seek-question-trump-attorney/story?id=97994017. live.
  22. News: 24 April 2024 . Trump allies Meadows, Giuliani among 18 indicted in Arizona election interference case . . 30 April 2024.
  23. News: Leingang . Rachel . Arizona grand jury indicts Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani over 2020 fake elector scheme . 25 April 2024 . . 24 April 2024.
  24. News: Schutsky . Wayne . 26 April 2024 . Meadows, Giuliani, 11 'fake electors' from 2020 are among those indicted in Arizona . . 30 April 2024.
  25. News: Trump allies plead not guilty in Arizona 'fake electors' case. Alexandra. Marquez. Alex. Tabet. NBC News. May 21, 2024. May 21, 2024.
  26. News: Giuliani, 10 others plead not guilty to felony election charges in Arizona. Mike. Heuer. UPI. May 21, 2024. May 21, 2024.
  27. News: Trump allies plead not guilty in Arizona 'fake electors' case. Alexandra. Marquez. Alex. Tabet. NBC News. May 21, 2024. May 21, 2024.
  28. Web site: Cheney . Kyle . August 31, 2022 . Days before Mar-a-Lago subpoena, Trump lawyer claimed she scoured his office, closets and drawers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220831172402/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/31/days-before-mar-a-lago-subpoena-trump-lawyer-claimed-she-scoured-trumps-office-closets-00054369 . August 31, 2022 . February 17, 2023 . Politico.
  29. News: Lowell . Hugo . 2022-09-01 . Two Trump lawyers could be witnesses or targets in FBI investigation . en-GB . . 2023-05-15 . 0261-3077 . August 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230828194638/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/31/donald-trump-lawyers-christina-bobb-evan-corcoran . live .
  30. News: Lowell . Hugo . 2022-10-10 . Trump lawyer told to certify Mar-a-Lago document search she did not conduct . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-05-15 . 0261-3077 . July 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230719204828/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/10/trump-lawyer-christina-bobb-mar-a-lago-certify-documents . live .
  31. News: Luke . Broadwater . Katie . Benner . Haberman . Maggie . August 26, 2022 . Inside the 20-Month Fight to Get Trump to Return Presidential Material . . live . February 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220828044203/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/us/politics/trump-documents-search-timeline.html . August 28, 2022.
  32. News: Haberman . Maggie . Thrush . Glenn . 2022-09-16 . Trump's Team of Lawyers Marked by Infighting and Possible Legal Troubles of Its Own . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-09-17 . 0362-4331 . May 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230529150920/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/us/politics/trump-lawyers-herschmann.html . live .
  33. Web site: 2022-10-10 . Trump lawyer Christina Bobb speaks to federal investigators in Mar-a-Lago case . 2023-09-02 . . en . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902055733/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-lawyer-christina-bobb-speaks-federal-investigators-mar-lago-case-rcna51459 . live .
  34. News: Lowell . Hugo . 10 October 2022 . Trump lawyer told to certify Mar-a-Lago document search she did not conduct . . Washington . 5 May 2024.
  35. News: Collins . Kaitlan . 10 October 2022 . Trump lawyer Christina Bobb spoke with federal investigators, source says . . 5 May 2024.
  36. Web site: Barber . C. Ryan . Leary . Alex . February 11, 2023 . Trump Lawyers Appeared Before Grand Jury as Part of Classified-Documents Probe . 2023-09-02 . . en-US . March 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310002755/https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lawyers-appeared-before-grand-jury-as-part-of-classified-documents-probe-3d1c8040 . live .
  37. Web site: Perez . Evan . Holmes . Kristen . 2023-02-11 . Second Trump attorney met with Mar-A-Lago probe grand jury in recent weeks CNN Politics . 2023-09-02 . . en . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902055734/https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/politics/christina-bobb-trump-mar-a-lago-grand-jury/index.html . live .
  38. News: Trump takes control of the RNC with mass layoffs, restructuring. The Washington Post. March 12, 2024. Michael Scherer. Josh Dawsey. Marianne LeVine. March 14, 2024. March 12, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240312235326/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/12/rnc-trump-firings-takeover/. live.
  39. News: Cameron . Chris . New R.N.C. Chair Declares 'a United Front' With Trump After Sweeping Changes . The New York Times . March 14, 2014 . April 8, 2024 . March 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240326235342/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/us/politics/rnc-chair-trump.html . live .
  40. News: Arizona defendant Christina Bobb plays key role on RNC election integrity team . The Washington Post . April 26, 2024. Amy Gardner. Yvonne Wingett Sanchez.
  41. News: 2024-03-13 . RNC Hires Election-Denying Ex-Trump Lawyer For 'Election Integrity' Post . 2024-03-14 . . April 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240407043727/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rnc-christina-bobb-election-integrity_n_65f18477e4b09953f2f83fe0 . live .

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