Trump put pressure on the Georgian electoral authority …

Outgoing US President Donald Trump has demanded Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “seek” the votes necessary to reverse the victory in Georgia for President-elect Joe Biden. Washington post This Sunday, posted on his website audio clips of a conversation lasting over an hour between Trump and Raffensperger, Georgia’s top electoral authority and who, like the president, belongs to the Republican Party. In the conversation, Trump begins by flattering Raffensperger, then begs him to act urgently. Before your refusal, threatened to bring him to justice and press charges against him, while warning him that he was taking a “great risk” by not accepting his requests.

At the same time, the new US Congress took office on Sunday amid high expectations for the definition of a majority in the Senate and for the promise of an eventful session next Wednesday, in which the victory of President-elect Joe Biden will be sealed. At least 12 senators and around 140 lawmakers plan to oppose ratification of Biden’s triumph during the session of Congress scheduled for Jan.6, which will force a vote on the election outcome.

More feminine and diverse than ever, the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives reconvenes for the swearing-in of its members, all under a reinforced health protocol. Then the Speaker of the Senate was appointed and the post went to skillful strategist Nancy Pelosi, despite the rejection of some votes from the left wing of the party.

Drowning slap

“The Georgian people are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there is nothing wrong with saying that, you know? I think your calculations have failed you,” we heard. in one of the records to which the Washington post. In response, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger replied, “Well, Mr. President, the challenge you have is that your data is fake.”

In another part of the conversation, Trump was more direct, saying: “Look, what I want is for you to look for the 11,780 votes, which is one more than us, because we won this state.”. Trump used that number because Biden beat him by 11,779 votes in the state of southern Georgia, which contributes 16 votes to the Electoral College, the body responsible for electing the President of the United States.

Throughout the call, Trump has detailed an extensive list of conspiracy theories and fake news to back up his position. He claimed without proof that Georgia won by at least half a million votes. And he unloaded a barrage of claims that have already been investigated and refuted: that thousands of dead have voted; that an Atlanta poll worker scanned 18,000 counterfeit ballots three times each and that “one hundred percent” of those votes went to Biden; that thousands of out-of-state voters illegally returned to Georgia just to vote in the elections.

“So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election and it’s not fair to take them away from us like that,” Trump warned. “And it’s going to be very expensive in a lot of ways. And I think you have to say that you’re going to review it, and you can review it, but review it with people who want to find answers, not with people who don’t want to. not find them, “continued the outgoing president. more and more threatening tone.

Trump himself confirmed on his Twitter account that he spoke to Raffensberger on Saturday. “I didn’t want or couldn’t answer the questions about the fraud. I had no idea!” Raffensperger’s response was swift: “With all due respect, President, what you are saying is not true. The truth will come out.”

The Battle of Georgia

Tuesday January 5 Georgia holds elections in which two senators will be elected which will occupy the two seats corresponding to that State in the Senate. The election is essential to decide which party has the majority in this chamber.

On paper, Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are the favorites to keep their seats. But his Democratic opponents, Ossoff and Warnock, are betting on the momentum created by Biden’s victory in November to get started. “The battle is tough, but a Democratic victory is possible,” Stacey Abrams said., a rising star of the Georgia-born Democratic Party, where he worked hard to promote black voters’ access to the vote.

The black electorate, which is expected to play a decisive role, was cheered on Sunday afternoon by Kamala Harris, who will become the first woman and the first person from a minority to take the vice-presidency on January 20. According to the Constitution, she will have the power to set the votes in the Senate if Democrats win in Georgia and to divide the Upper House by 50 seats per side. If they fail, Biden will have to convince the more centrist Republican senators about every bill or nomination he sends to Congress, limiting his leeway somewhat.

A renewed congress

Democrats are poised to have either party’s narrowest majority in the House in 20 years, starting the session with a 222-21 advantage. In the Senate, the situation is different, since the definition is subject to the election which will take place in Georgia on Tuesday and in which the Democrats must win the two disputed seats to regain control of the upper house.

President Donald Trump and President-elect Biden will visit the state on Monday. The outgoing president also called on his supporters, including members of the far-right group Proud Boys, to take to the streets of Washington on January 6 to protest the victory of former Vice President Barack Obama.

The special feature of the inauguration of the new Congress was the re-election of Nancy Pelosi as President of the House of Representatives. Pelosi is the only woman in history to have held this position and has done so twice (between 2007 and 2011 and from 2019 to today). ANDIn a letter to her fellow believers, the Democratic leader was confident and assured that the vote would show a “united” Democratic Party, even though she ultimately lost a handful of votes, as has been speculated.

Pelosi’s weekend, however, got off to a bad start when her house woke up on Saturday with graffiti and even a pig’s face on the door. Something very similar happened at the home of Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. They did so as a form of protest against the failed approval of two thousand dollar checks to collaborate with those most affected by the pandemic that continues to rage in the United States.

“Where is my money?” it could be read this Saturday at the door of McConnell’s house in Louisville, Ky. The Republican Senate leader attributed the incident to “vandals” in a statement released by various local media. Although House Democrats decided to take the checks, currently $ 600, to $ 2,000, Pelosi received the same rejection from his Republican counterpart.