Federal Officials Join Summit Urging Election National Emergency
Michael Flynn convened a Washington summit where federal officials and activists urged President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency to seize control of midterm elections.
Federal officials and election activists convened a summit in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 2026, to discuss strategies for the upcoming midterm elections. Organized by Michael Flynn, chair of the Gold Institute for International Strategy, the event brought together government figures including White House lawyer Kurt Olsen and Department of Homeland Security official Heather Honey.
During the roundtable and subsequent dinner, participants urged President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency to seize federal control of the electoral process. Proposed measures included banning mail-in ballots and eliminating voting machines. Patrick Byrne, a funder of election overturn efforts, specifically advocated for this "muscular" action.
White House officials described the attendance of government personnel as "common practice" for communicating with policy advocates and stated that Trump is not considering such a declaration. However, the Campaign Legal Center and other critics argued the coordination represents a breakdown of ethical guardrails. The Department of Justice later reported that attendee Mac Warner resigned one day after the event for failing to obtain required ethics approval.
