WASHINGTON — The day after his controversial decision to support a partisan lawsuit that would invalidate ballots in several swing states, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes lunched with President Trump.
Reyes attended what was described by his office as a "holiday luncheon" in Washington, DC, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
READ: Trump joins lawsuit to overthrow election results
According to Reyes' spokesperson, the invitation came before the AG announced Utah's support of the Texas lawsuit that asks the Supreme Court to block votes in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, states which went for President-elect Joe Biden.
Reyes' decision was derided by Utah politicians in both parties, including Gov. Gary Herbert and Gov.-elect Spencer Cox, both Republicans.
"The Attorney General did not consult us before signing on to this brief, so we don’t know what his motivation is. Just as we would not want other states challenging Utah’s election results, we do not think we should intervene in other states’ elections. Candidates who wish to challenge election results have access to the courts without our involvement. This is an unwise use of taxpayers’ money.” the two wrote in a shared statement.
Reyes faced controversy immediately following Election Day in November by saying he would take personal time to travel to Nevada and challenge voting results in the state. Nevada eventually certified its ballots and electoral votes for Biden.
READ: Utah AG Reyes claims 'compromised' election process, will support Trump
Rep. Chris Stewart and former House Speaker Greg Hughes have come out in support of Reyes' actions.
As expected, the Utah House Democratic Caucus claimed in a statement released Thursday that Reyes is misusing the powers of his office.
"The role of our Attorney General is to uphold the constitution and respect the interests of our state. Reyes’ actions call for closer scrutiny and oversight of the Office of the Attorney General’s budget to ensure that the office is properly serving the interests of the state of Utah. The Attorney General should immediately withdraw Utah from this embarrassing and irresponsible lawsuit.”
