In May 2017, Mensch wrote that then-Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, who was named as "the ‘Designated Survivor’ at the inauguration of Donald Trump.. is likely to become President if charges" against President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan" were soon brought, "according to the evidence, of illegal collusion with Russia, money laundering, and obstruction of justice". Federal authorities had gathered "voluminous evidence" that "Donald Trump... knowingly colluded with the Russian state in the hacking of the U.S election, and laundered Russian money through shell companies", Mensch claimed. She said that federal authorities had also uncovered evidence that Pence had "obstructed justice, conspired to obstruct justice.. and violated the Logan Act." She also claimed that conversations of Paul Ryan had "been legally intercepted", were on tape, and included Ryan admitting that he knew Russian money was being laundered into the Republican Party. Because Trump, Pence, and Ryan might be removed from office at any moment after facing criminal charges, Mensch said, Senator Hatch would likely be named President. All of these various claims by Mensch turned out to be untrue, and the events she forecast never occurred. Trump, Pence, and Ryan were never charged with crimes, and Hatch did not become president. No evidence has ever surfaced that Pence and Ryan had even ever had been under investigation by federal authorities.