October 30, 2026 – Natalie Winters: I obtained internal election strategy memos from a network connected to Norm Eisen—revealing its partners’ backchannel with election officials

In Email/Dossier/Govt Corruption Investigations, Featured Timeline Entries by Katie Weddington

EXCLUSIVE: I obtained internal election strategy memos from a network connected to Norm Eisen—revealing its partners’ backchannel with election officials and the anti-Trump talking points circulated to allies.

The documents spell out which officials to amplify, which election claims to avoid repeating, and how to frame Trump as preparing to reject the midterms.

Their distribution instruction:

“It may not be shared outside of the ESRN and is not intended to be shared publicly or with the press.”

Here’s what I found. 🧵

(…)

The network is the Election Safeguards Response Network—ESRN.

People’s Action identifies Norm Eisen, Obama’s former ethics official, as its executive director.

In an April 20 internal memo, ESRN describes national and state partners preparing for disputes involving ballots and election materials.

It reports that partners are:

“maintaining open lines of communication with election officials.”

The next section lays out how allies should shape the public response.

I found explicit instructions to amplify Michigan’s statewide election officials—alongside messaging guidance, a social media toolkit and prepared scripts.

The heading: “What You Can Say.”

One script calls DOJ’s demand for election records:

“the latest attempt in a long line of desperate actions to interfere in Michigan’s elections.”

Another begins:

“Michigan’s local communities run our elections. Not the federal government.”

The internal document connects access to officials with a coordinated campaign to carry their statements into public debate.

(…)

A second internal memo tells recipients responding to Trump:

“RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO ADDRESS EACH OF HIS CLAIMS OR TO SIMPLY LIST FACTS.”

The explanation:

“And when we fight feelings with facts, we lose.”

Instead, it instructs allies to describe his statements as:

“manufacturing a pretext to reject the 2026 results before votes are even cast.”

That framing was written into a July 16 strategy memo expressly marked against public and press distribution.

The internal guidance singles out non-citizen voting:

“DO NOT REPEAT CLAIMS ABOUT NON-CITIZEN VOTING, EVEN TO DISPUTE THEM.”

It says repeating those claims gives them credibility and free airtime.

The prescribed attack:

“EMPHASIZE THAT THE SPEECH WAS DESPERATE AND RIDICULOUS.”

Recipients are also told to use language Americans can understand “and repeat.”

The memo specifies both the subject allies should avoid amplifying and the message they should circulate instead.
(…)
I also obtained the ready-made “TALKING POINTS”:

“If he can’t accept that he lost in 2020, imagine what he’ll do to try to cling to power in 2026.”

Another reads:

“They’re not actually trying to prove anything about the last elections; they’re trying to fool us into doubting the next one. We’re not falling for it.”
Natalie Winters @nataliegwinters· Oct 30
Read my full investigation and support my work here!

https://NatalieGWinters.substack.com
Leigh Marcotte @labtechleigh · 16h
1/ ESRN ties straight back to Norm Eisen, and to Marc Elias’s law firm.

People’s Action names Eisen as ESRN executive director.

ESRN partners on https://esrn.net:
• All Voting is Local
• Bridging Divides Initiative
• Campaign Legal Center
• Common Cause
• Protect

1/ ESRN ties straight back to Norm Eisen, and to Marc Elias’s law firm.

People’s Action names Eisen as ESRN executive director.

ESRN partners on http://esrn.net:
• All Voting is Local
• Bridging Divides Initiative
• Campaign Legal Center
• Common Cause
• Protect Democracy
• Democracy Defenders Fund (co-founded by Eisen)
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

North Fund (Arabella-managed) gave Common Cause $625K (2021 to 2023) and paid Elias Law Group $4.1M (2022), $3.3M (2023), and $4.57M (2024) for legal services.

2/ It goes further. Per @DataRepublican’s Democracy Files Part 9 video:

• Eisen’s State Democracy Defenders hosted ESRN
• Its 990 lists an “ESRN DIRECTOR” (FY Jul 2024 to Jun 2025)
• State Democracy Defenders Action paid Elias Law Group $151,764 (2023) and $592,365 (FY2025)

The “election safeguards” network and two top Dem lawyers share leadership and money 🤔