Fred Eshelman, a prominent Republican donor from North Carolina, is suing a pro-Trump group for $2.5 million after the group failed to show evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, reported Thursday.
Eshelman, the founder of Eshelman Ventures LLC, donated the money to True the Vote Inc., a Houston-based organization, which had promised to “investigate, litigate, and expose suspected illegal balloting and fraud in the 2020 general election.”
Now he wants his money back because True the Vote did not provide him with information about their progress and he believes they can’t achieve what they claimed.
Their attempt to challenge the election results was called Validate the Vote and was to involve frivolous lawsuits in seven swing states.
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According to Bloomberg, Eshelman wired the group $2 million on November 5 and then sent them a further $500,000 the following week but True the Vote did not provide him with updates on their activities. He claimed he regularly asked for information but was “met with vague responses, platitudes, and empty promises.”
He reportedly realized the group couldn’t achieve what they claimed and so asked for his donation back.
The group offered him $1 million if he agreed not to sue, his complaint alleges. His suit against them has now been filed in District Court in the Southern District of Texas.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or irregularities during the 2020 election. However, several conservative groups have made fundraising pitches based on unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, including the Trump campaign.
