Leaked call: Outrage over Trump’s move to manipulate Georgia vote
Published January 4, 2021
Trump
The release on Sunday by US media of a stunning audio tape in which President Donald Trump pressured Georgia ’ s secretary of state to “find ” enough votes to overturn his election defeat there to Democrat Joe Biden sent shockwaves across Washington .
The tape , a rebel push by scores of Republican lawmakers to challenge Biden ’ s electoral win later this week , a pair of runoff elections in Georgia to decide control of the US Senate and expected pro - Trump protests in Washington are combining to set the stage for a fiery week in American politics .
Lawmakers got back to work Sunday on Capitol Hill, where Democrat Nancy Pelosi was narrowly reelected as speaker of the House of Representatives , but the real political fireworks are to come later in the week .
Following the release of the recording , Democrats and a few Republicans heaped scorn on the outgoing president , who fired off a tweetstorm of unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the November 3 election .
The taped conversation between Trump and fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger , first obtained by The Washington Post , includes vague threats by Trump that Raffensperger and another official could face “ a big risk” if they failed to take moves toward overturning Biden ’ s victory .
“ There’ s nothing wrong with saying , you know , um, that you ’ ve recalculated” the vote tally , Trump is heard saying on the tape . “You ’ re off by hundreds of thousands of votes . ”
Raffensperger is heard responding: “Well , Mr. President , the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong. ”
Biden won the long Republican- leaning state by fewer 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 . ”
Making Trump ’ s call more surprising is the fact that even a hypothetical reversal in Georgia , which has 16 Electoral College votes , would not overturn victory by Biden , who won by a margin of 306 to 232 .
Ahead of the release of the audio , Trump tweeted about the call , saying that Raffensperger “was unwilling , or unable, to answer questions such as the ‘ ballots under table ’ scam , ballot destruction, out of state ‘ voters’ , dead voters, and more . ”
Raffensperger tweeted back , also ahead of the release of the audio , saying : “ Respectfully , President Trump : What you ’ re saying is not true . The truth will come out . ”
After the release , the White House declined to comment .
Democrats reacted furiously.
Vice President - elect Kamala Harris slammed it as “ the voice of desperation ” and a “ bald- faced , bold abuse of power by the President of the United States ” during a rally in Savannah , Georgia .
One moderate Republican , Congressman Adam Kinzinger , tweeted : “This is absolutely appalling . To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results , you cannot — in light of this — do so with a clean conscience. ”
– Key elections in Georgia –
It was unclear what impact the tape ’ s release might have on the twin runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday , 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 are facing off against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively .
Victory by Ossoff and Warnock would give Democrats , and Biden , a major boost — Senate seats would be evenly divided between the parties at 50 each , but incoming Vice President Harris would wield a tie-breaking vote . Democrats already control the House .
“ This is going to be a very tough battle but it is absolutely within the realm of possibility — in fact , the realm of likelihood — the Democrats can win, ” Stacey Abrams, the charismatic former Georgia lawmaker who has emerged as a party leader, told CNN on Sunday.
– ‘ Time to move forward’ –
News of the Trump tape came hours after the US Congress opened its new session Sunday .
Pelosi , the highest - ranking woman in the history of US politics , will serve another term as speaker of the House after her reelection .
Congress will convene in a rare joint session on Wednesday to certify Biden ’ s election result — but it will not be the usual dry pro forma affair .
So far, 12 Republican senators loyal to Trump have announced plans to block certification, instead demanding the formation of a special commission to do an “ emergency ” election audit .
With Democrats controlling the House and many Senate Republicans expected to confirm Biden ’ s victory , the rebel effort is all but certain to fail, but it has raised tensions on Capitol Hill .
It has also underscored a sharp divide within the president’ s party , as Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has asked his caucus to respect the Electoral College result.
Senator Mitt Romney , the party ’ s 2012 presidential candidate , called the campaign an “egregious ploy ” that served only to “enhance the political ambition of some . ”
He and a bipartisan coalition of senators on Sunday called on Congress to certify the result, saying : “The 2020 election is over … It is time to move forward . ”
Pro - Trump protesters not quite willing to concede are expected to rally in Washington on Wednesday.
Trump , who has urged thousands to support his cause , tweeted Sunday : “I will be there. Historic day!”

maybe ffk gave him the tactics