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The outgoing US president, Donald trump, asked the secretary of state for Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, who “looks for” the votes that are necessary to annul the victory in that state of the president-elect, the democrat Joe bidenThe Washington Post reported Sunday.
The capital newspaper published this Sunday on its website audio extracts of a conversation lasting more than an hour between Trump and Raffensperger, Georgia’s highest electoral authority and who, like the president, belongs to the Republican Party.
In the conversation, Trump complimented Raffensperger, then begged him to act and, given his refusal, threatened to bring him to justice and filing criminal charges against him, at the same time that he warned him that he was taking a “great risk” by not accepting his requests.
“The people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry (…) And there is nothing wrong with saying, you know? I think your calculations have failed you, ”Trump is heard saying in one of The Washington Post recordings.
In response, Raffensperger responded: “Well, Mr. President, the challenge you have is that your data is wrong.”
At another point in the conversation, Trump was more direct and said: “Look, what I want is for you to look for the 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won that state.”
Trump used that number because Biden beat him by 11,779 votes in the southern state of Georgia, which contributes 16 votes to the Electoral College, the body charged with electing the US president.
In December, Georgia authorities certified the victory for Biden, who was the first Democrat to win in that state since he did so in 1992. Bill clinton (1993-2001); and, for weeks, they have had to endure the pressure of the president, who does not recognize his defeat by alleging without proof that there was fraud.
Trump has filed dozens of unsuccessful lawsuits to challenge the outcome without evidence in several key states where Biden won, and has also pressured state officials, including Georgia, to manipulate the American vote.
Biden’s victory became definitively official on December 14, when it was confirmed by the US Electoral College.
Yet Trump has stood firm in his defiance of the election and hopes to revoke the result on January 6, when the two houses of Congress meet to ratify Biden’s victory, in a symbolic gesture that has gained greater importance due to the president’s opposition.
Georgia has become a key state for the future of America in the short term.
On January 5, Georgia holds elections in which the two senators who will occupy the two seats corresponding to that state in the Senate will be chosen, something that will help to decide which party has the majority in that chamber.
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