Cleta Mitchell
Cleta B. Deatherage Mitchell (born September 16, 1950) is an American lawyer, politician, and conservative activist. Elected in 1976, Mitchell served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives until 1984, representing District 44 as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1996, she registered as a Republican. Since then, she has worked as a Republican lawyer and conservative activist.
Cleta Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 44th district | |
| In office 1976–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Mina Hibdon |
| Succeeded by | Carolyn Thompson Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cleta Deatherage September 16, 1950 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1996) Independent (1996) Republican (1996–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Duane Draper (1973–1982) Dale Mitchell (1984–present) |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (BA, JD) |
After Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Mitchell aided Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the election results and pressure election officials to "find" sufficient votes for him to win. After participating in a telephone call in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to alter the election results in Georgia (which was won by Biden), Mitchell resigned as a partner at Foley & Lardner. In 2021, she set up an escrow fund to funnel money to companies conducting a pro-Trump "audit" into Arizona's 2020 election.