Over the weekend, Trump was caught on tape desperately trying to pressure and threaten Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to rescind the state’s lawfully certified vote count and to “find” enough votes to overturn the election results.
Trump pressured Raffensperger to rescind Georgia’s certified results and to “find” enough votes to overturn the will of the people.
TRUMP: “You know, I mean, I’m notifying you that you’re letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.”
TRUMP: “So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.”
Trump threatened Raffensperger and his lawyer with vague legal consequences if he didn’t subvert the election results.
TRUMP: “And you are going to find that they are — which is totally illegal — it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know, what they did and you’re not reporting it. That’s a criminal, that’s a criminal offense. And you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And that’s a big risk.”
TRUMP: “You know, and I watched you this morning, and you said, well, there was no criminality. But I mean all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think it’s very dangerous for you to say that.”
Trump repeated outlandish and previously debunked claims of voter fraud.
New York Times: “Trump Repeats Debunked Election Claims in Call With Georgia Official”
RAFFENSPERGER: “Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong.”
Trump’s rambling and often incoherent call was filled with desperation after he has been unable to accept his election defeat.
Washington Post: “The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still asserting he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.”
Washington Post: “Trump sounded at turns confused and meandering. At one point, he referred to Kemp as ‘George.’ He tossed out several different figures for Biden’s margin of victory in Georgia and referred to the Senate runoff, which is Tuesday, as happening ‘tomorrow’ and ‘Monday.’”
Trump suggested going around the courts and called legal proceedings a “game” after his legal strategy has consistently failed.
RAFFENSPERGER: “Mr. President, you have people that submit information, and we have our people that submit information. And then it comes before the court, and the court then has to make a determination. We have to stand by our numbers. We believe our numbers are right.”
TRUMP: “Why do you say that, though? I don’t know. I mean, sure, we can play this game with the courts, but why do you say that? First of all, they don’t even assign us a judge. They don’t even assign us a judge.”
Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows joined in on pushing Trump’s baseless claims and piled on to his efforts to pressure Raffensperger.
MEADOWS: “For example, Mr. Secretary, I can you say they were only two dead people who would vote. I can promise you there are more than that. And that may be what your investigation shows, but I can promise you there are more than that. But at the same time, I think it’s important that we go ahead and move expeditiously to try to do this and resolve it as quickly as we possibly can. And if that’s the good next step. Hopefully we can, we can finish this phone call and go ahead and agree that the two of you will get together immediately.”
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