Despite winning Texas by nearly six points in 2020, former President Donald Trump, in a letter published Thursday, called on Gov. Greg Abbott to add a forensic audit agenda item to the third and current special session of the state legislature.

What You Need To Know

  • In a letter published Thursday, former President Donald Trump urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to add an election audit agenda item to the current special session of the Legislature

  • Trump in 2020 beat President Joe Biden in Texas by nearly six points but lost some of the larger, more urban counties 

  • There have been some bills introduced this year in the Texas Legislature that would pave the way for a forensic audit of 2020 election results. One of them, House Bill 16, was introduced during the third and current session

  • Trump urged Abbott to add the agenda item this week, writing, "Texans know voter fraud occurred in some of  their counties." There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Texas or any other state during the 2020 election

“Despite my big win in Texas, I hear Texans want an election audit! You know your fellow Texans have big questions about the November 2020 Election,” Trump wrote.

Abbott has added some agenda items to the current special session recently and Trump urged him to add an election audit this week.

“Texas needs you to act now. Your Third Special Session is the perfect, and maybe last, opportunity to pass this audit bill. Time is running out,” Trump wrote. “Paper ballots in your state are only kept for 22 months.”

Trump specifically mentions House Bill 16, which was introduced during the current special session and would empower judges, candidates and party chairs to initiate an audit of election results. He also mentions Senate Bill 97, which was passed by the Texas Senate during the last special session but was never taken up by the House. The bill would have facilitated county audits of the 2020 election.

Gov. Abbott did not immedialtey respond to a request for comment but one of his Republican primary opponents, Don Huffines, who supports an audit, on Thursday tweeted, “The Texas Legislature could have passed legislation auditing the 2020 election in the month of January. They could have passed it in July. They could have passed it in August. It was never a priority of @GregAbbottTX.”

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Texas or any other state during the 2020 election.

“Governor Abbott, we need a ‘Forensic Audit of the 2020 Election’ added to the call,” Trump wrote. “We’re quickly running out of time and it must be done this week. Texans know voter fraud occurred in some of their counties. Let’s get to the bottom of the 2020 Presidential Election Scam!”