GA Secretary of State opens investigation into Trump

• Georgian Secretary of State opens investigation into appeal by former President Donald Trump.
• During the call, Trump pressured state election officials to “find votes” and “find more fraud.”
• David Worley, a Democrat on the Georgian Elections Council, told Reuters the investigation could precede criminal charges.
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has opened an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure Georgia state officials to illegally overrule legitimate election results, he said. Reuters reported.

Raffensperger’s office said the investigation was “factual and administrative in nature” and the findings would be referred to the Republican-majority Elections Board.

The probe focuses on an appeal Trump made to Raffensperger in January, where he asked the state official “to find 11,780 votes” to help him win Georgia.

During the call, Raffensperger rejected Trump’s demands. Election officials across Georgia disputed Trump’s claims that the election was fraudulent or unfair.

Once the state has completed its investigation of the appeal, it can return the findings to the state attorney general or elsewhere for prosecution.

“The secretary of state’s office is investigating the complaints it receives,” Walter Jones, a spokesperson for the office, told Reuters on Monday. “The investigations are factual and administrative in nature. Any further legal effort will be left to the Attorney General.”

The New York Times reported that Fani Willis, the Democratic District Attorney for Fulton County, is also considering opening a criminal investigation into Trump’s actions.

Trump also called and repeatedly lobbied Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, and taunted him on Twitter, in a bid to ask Kemp to call a special legislative session to overturn the election results.

David Worley, the only Democrat on the Georgian Elections Council, told Reuters that the administrative investigation could precede criminal charges.

“Any investigation into a violation of the law is a potential criminal investigation depending on the law in question,” he said, adding: “The complaint that was received involved a criminal offense.”

Worley also explained that he would personally initiate a motion at Wednesday’s Election Board meeting, to formally refer the investigation to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Jason Miller, a senior Trump adviser, told the AP that there was “nothing wrong or untoward about a planned appeal between President Trump, Secretary Raffensperger, and lawyers for both sides ”.

Insider has reached out to the Trump Organization, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, and the state electoral board for their comment.