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- In an unusual phone call, current US President Donald Trump urged a subsequent change in the outcome in the state of Georgia.
- In the hour-long conversation, the 74-year-old asked the secretary of state responsible for conducting the elections to “find” enough votes for him and “recalculate” the result.
- The Washington Post published parts of a recording of the conversation on Sunday.
- Other US media, including the AP news agency, later reported on the content of the call.
During the phone call, Trump threatened Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that he was taking a “great risk” and that he could be guilty of a crime if he did not act against electoral fraud.
The president of the United States later wrote about the conversation on Twitter, insulting his fellow party members as “clueless.”
“What you say is not true”
“I just want to find 11,780 votes … because we won the state,” he said, according to the recording. There is nothing wrong with saying that the secretary of state has recalculated the votes, according to Trump. According to the Washington Post, Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and the Republican’s lawyers were also involved in the phone call.
Raffensperger responded, according to the recording: “We have to defend our numbers. We believe our numbers are correct. “The Secretary of State also noted that the results had been upheld in court. He later wrote on Twitter, referring to Trump’s claims:” With all due respect, Mr. President, what you say is not true”.
“Blatant abuse of power”
The incumbent president narrowly lost Georgia in the November 3 election. Democrat Joe Biden led with about 12,000 votes. The end result changed only slightly even after two counts; there was no evidence of electoral fraud.
Democrats responded outraged to Trump’s phone call. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris described the procedure as a “blatant abuse of power,” which reveals the voice of despair. Former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro commented on Twitter: “The president of the United States is blackmailing state officials to try to steal the elections he lost.”
It will be official on Wednesday
Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge challenger Joe Biden’s victory. He will be sworn in as the new president on January 20. In the formal electoral procedure of the United States, the certification of the results of the individual states in Congress is due on Wednesday. Only then will it be official who has won the elections.
Republicans in the House and Senate have announced that they will appeal the results of individual states during the proceedings. Disruptive action may delay confirmation of Biden’s election victory by a few hours, but it has no prospect of changing anything in the election outcome.
