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Brad Raffensperger rebuffed Trump’s pressure to annul the election results, telling him that “the data he has is incorrect.”
US President Donald Trump harassed and reprimanded Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a call Sunday (NZT), repeating falsehoods about his election defeat in Georgia, the latest example of the extraordinary pressure that has exercised over Republican state officials before the critical second round for control of the United States Senate.
Raffensperger rebuffed Trump’s pressure to nullify the election results, telling him that “the data he has is incorrect” while rejecting Trump’s false “ballot box full” theories that the president says would reverse Joe Biden’s roughly 12,000-vote victory. in Georgia.
Throughout the call, Trump invoked discredited conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud and continued to urge Raffensperger to reverse the election result, repeating falsehoods about the “full of votes” ballot box and other false narratives.
“We won this election in Georgia based on all of this. There is nothing wrong with saying that, Brad. The people of Georgia are angry and these numbers will repeat on Monday night,” he said, adding, “There is nothing wrong. to say that it has recalculated. “
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A recording of the call lasting about an hour was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and it was confirmed by two people involved in the conversation. It was revealed a day before Trump is hosting a rally in northwest Georgia for US Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
At one point in the conversation, the president said “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” the gap between him and Biden, who became the first Democrat to change the state since 1992.
“It’s pretty clear that we won. We won quite substantially. And it even shows from the size of the rally,” Trump said, later accusing one of Raffensperger’s lawyers of being a “Never Trumper.”
“There is just no way. Look, there is no way. There is no way.”
Near the end of the conversation, Raffensperger chimed in that Trump was falling victim to false conspiracy theories that he has seen on Twitter.
“Mr. President, the problem you have with social media is that people can say anything.”
“No, this is not social media. This is Trump’s media,” the president replied. “You should want to have an accurate election and you are a Republican.”
“We think we have a precise choice,” Raffensperger responded.
“No, you don’t. No. No, you don’t. You don’t, not even close.”
Among those on the call were Raffensperger, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and several aides and attorneys. At one point, Meadows urged Georgia officials “in a spirit of cooperation and commitment” to find a way forward that does not involve the judicial system.
“The state is upset by this. I know it would like to get to the bottom,” Trump said, berating Raffensperger for a recent television appearance in which he said there is no systemic electoral fraud.
“People should be happy to have an accurate count, rather than an election where there is confusion. There is confusion in Georgia and elsewhere; you are not the only one. We have other states that I think will change their minds shortly.”
State and federal election officials have said there is no evidence of widespread wrongdoing in Georgia and other battle states, and courts at all levels have dismissed campaign challenges from Trump and his allies seeking to reverse Georgia’s closed election. .
The president has fought Raffensperger and other Republicans for weeks, blaming them for his narrow electoral defeat in Georgia. The call came shortly before he led a pro-Loeffler-Perdue rally ahead of Tuesday’s runoff for control of the US Senate.
Republicans worry that Trump’s relentless attacks on Raffensperger, Governor Brian Kemp, and other state Republican figures have undermined party unity and are sending mixed messages to president loyalists ahead of the fundamental election against Democrats Jon Ossoff and Democrats. Raphael Warnock.
Trump particularly lashed out at Stacey Abrams, the former Democratic gubernatorial candidate who said she “outwitted you at every step” with a consent decree in March that addresses allegations about the lack of state standards for judging signatures on voting envelopes. absent.
“You’ve taken a state that’s Republican and you’ve made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like no one ever did before,” Trump said.
– The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
