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Georgian Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office opened an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s phone call on January 2 urging Raffensperger to overturn the state’s election results.
“All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than us. Because we won the state,” Trump told Raffensperger on the call. telephone, which is expected to play a leading role in the impeachment trial this week.
Raffensperger’s office confirmed that it opened the investigation after receiving a complaint about Trump’s conduct.
“The Secretary of State’s office investigates the complaints it receives. Investigations are factual and administrative in nature. Any further legal effort will be left to the Attorney General,” said Walter Jones, a spokesperson for Raffensperger’s office. .
The state attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday evening.
Once the investigation is complete, investigators will make their findings available to the state Election Commission, which is made up of two Republicans and two Democrats and is chaired by Raffensperger. The council could decide to drop the case, issue a reprimand or refer the case to prosecutors.
In a statement last month, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis called the call “disturbing” and left the door open to an investigation.
“Anyone who commits a violation of Georgian law in my jurisdiction will be held responsible. Once the investigation is completed, this case, like all cases, will be handled by our office on the basis of the facts and the law,” he said. said Willis.
Legal experts said the appeal could have violated federal and state election laws, but would be difficult to prosecute.
Raffensperger, a Republican, caught Trump’s fury by pushing back against allegations of widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the weeks following the election. A transcript of the call was released after Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger and that Raffensperger was “unwilling or unable” to answer his already debunked questions about voter fraud.
Trump sang about the call at his Jan.6 rally before his supporters’ deadly riot on the U.S. Capitol.
“In Georgia, your secretary of state, who – I can’t believe this guy is a Republican. He loves recording phone conversations. You know, it was a – I thought it was a good conversation, personally. . others – people like this conversation because it says what’s going on, “Trump said then.” These people are crooked. “
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