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A recorded conversation between US President Donal Trump and his Republican colleague Brad Raffensperger includes vague threats from Trump that Raffensperger and another official could face “great risk” if they do not take action to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
FILE: Donald Trump. Image: AFP
WASHINGTON – The release by US media Sunday of a stunning audiotape of President Donald Trump pressuring Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” enough votes to reverse his electoral defeat there to Democrat Joe Biden, prompted commotion in Washington.
The tape, a rebellious push by dozens of Republican lawmakers to challenge Biden’s election victory later this week, a pair of runoff elections in Georgia to decide control of the United States Senate, and expected pro-Trump protests. in Washington combine to set the stage for a fiery week in American politics.
Lawmakers returned to work Sunday on Capitol Hill, where Democrat Nancy Pelosi was narrowly re-elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives, but the real political fireworks will come later in the week.
Following the release of the recording, Democrats and some Republicans mocked the outgoing president, who flung a barrage of tweets of unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the November 3 election.
The recorded conversation between Trump and his Republican colleague Brad Raffensperger, first obtained by The Washington Post, includes vague threats from Trump that Raffensperger and another official could face “great risk” if they do not take action to overturn Biden’s victory.
“There’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, you’ve recalculated” the vote count, Trump is heard saying on tape. “You are out of place by hundreds of thousands of votes.”
Raffensperger is heard responding, “Well, Mr. President, the challenge you have is that the data you have is wrong.”
Biden won the long Republican-leaning status by less than 12,000 votes, a narrow margin, but one that has remained unchanged through a series of recounts and audits.
“The current margin is only 11,779. Brad, I think you agree with that, right?” Trump says. “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes.”
What makes Trump’s decision all the more surprising is the fact that even a hypothetical investment in Georgia, which has 16 votes in the Electoral College, would not nullify the victory for Biden, who won by a margin of 306-232.
Before the release of the audio, Trump tweeted about the call, saying that Raffensperger “was unwilling or unable to answer questions such as ‘ballot under the table’ scam, destruction of ballots, out-of-state ‘voters’, dead voters. , and more”.
Raffensperger responded on Twitter, also before the audio was released, saying: “Respectfully, President Trump: what you are saying is not true. The truth will come out.”
After the statement, the White House declined to comment.
The Democrats reacted with fury.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called it “the voice of despair” and a “blatant and audacious abuse of power by the President of the United States” during a rally in Savannah, Georgia.
A moderate Republican, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, tweeted: “This is absolutely appalling. For every member of Congress who considers opposing the election results, cannot, in light of this, do so with a clear conscience.”
KEY ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA
It was unclear what impact the release of the tape could have on the second round of Tuesday’s Georgia election, which will decide who controls the US Senate.
Both Trump and Biden are due to appear at rallies in the southern state on Monday.
Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face Democratic rivals Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.
A victory for Ossoff and Warnock would give Democrats, and Biden, a big boost: Senate seats would be divided evenly between the parties at 50 each, but incoming Vice President Harris would exercise a tiebreaker vote. Democrats already control the House.
“This will be a very tough battle, but it is absolutely within the realm of possibility, in fact, the realm of probability, the Democrats can win,” Stacey Abrams, the charismatic former Georgia lawmaker who has emerged as the party leader. he told CNN on Sunday.
‘TIME TO MOVE FORWARD’
The news of Trump’s tape came hours after the United States Congress opened its new session on Sunday.
Pelosi, the highest-ranking woman in the history of American politics, will serve another term as Speaker of the House after her re-election.
Congress will meet in a rare joint session Wednesday to certify the outcome of Biden’s election, but it won’t be the usual dry pro forma matter.
So far, 12 Republican senators loyal to Trump have announced plans to block the certification, rather than require the formation of a special commission to conduct an “emergency” election audit.
With Democrats controlling the House and many Senate Republicans expected to confirm Biden’s victory, the rebel effort will almost certainly fail, but it has increased tensions on Capitol Hill.
He has also underlined a sharp division within the president’s party, as Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell has asked his group to respect the Electoral College result.
Senator Mitt Romney, the party’s 2012 presidential candidate, called the campaign an “egregious ploy” that only served to “enhance the political ambition of some.”
He and a bipartisan coalition of senators on Sunday asked Congress to certify the result, saying: “The 2020 elections are over … It is time to move on.”
Pro-Trump protesters who are unwilling to give in are expected to gather in Washington on Wednesday.
Trump, who has urged thousands of people to support his cause, tweeted Sunday: “I’ll be there. Historic day!”
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