Raffensperger intends to certify Georgia Senate second-round results by January 20 but cannot commit

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In a high-profile interview, Raffensperger, a Republican, also called the previous day’s uprising on the United States Capitol as “horrible.” The chaos, he said, was the result of two months of people twisting the facts of the November presidential election – including Biden’s victory in Georgia – and spreading disinformation on social media.

“I’ve said from day one that we really have to (be) aware of our speech, we can’t turn people around and play people and put them into an emotional frenzy,” he said.

Five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, have died after Trump supporters raped one of America’s most iconic buildings on Wednesday, plunging the nation’s capital into chaos after the president urged them to shut down the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that confirmed Biden’s victory.

“It’s one thing to have a peaceful protest, you know, nonviolent, you know, or a parade to get your point across. But that, well, went way beyond that,” Raffensperger said.

National leaders on both sides should condemn the violence, he said.

“Imagine what our founders would say if they watched this, you know, why they fought. It wasn’t so that we could club each other. It was so that we could come together and have peaceful and respectful conversations. in the halls of Congress, and that’s where we resolved our differences, ”Raffensperger said.

Georgia’s elections were fair, senior official says

Raffensperger reaffirmed that the elections in Georgia were fair. “The facts are on our side,” he said. “We had fair and honest elections in Georgia.”

Just because you don’t like the outcome of an election doesn’t mean you are going down the path of violence, he said.

“We work on our differences in the halls of our general assemblies, in the halls of Congress, but not on the streets intimidating, shooting, hitting people. It’s deception, ”he said.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
Moreover, the violence on Capitol Hill has “denied (and) obscured” Trump’s accomplishments, Raffensperger said.

“It’s a shame I had to come to this. It’s also a shame that many people, the political leaders, the elected political leaders of the Republican Party, did not have the courage to stand up and say , Mr President, here are the real numbers, and I believe the real numbers, ”he added.

Trump hurt the Republican Party in the Georgian Senate run-off, he said, distracting GOP candidates with lies about the presidential race when they should have been focusing on their own campaigns.

Georgians on Tuesday elected Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock to the Senate, giving their party control of both houses of Congress and the White House for the first time in a decade. This allows Biden to enact far-reaching legislation and pass Cabinet appointments without the backing of Republicans.
Voters wait at a polling station in Tuesday's second round of senatorial elections in Atlanta.

Nation must start to heal, says Raffensperger

Raffensperger has received death threats since Trump lost Georgia. Asked by CNN if he still supported the president, he said the point was moot as Trump was about to come out. For his part, Raffensperger remains “a proud Republican”, he declared.
Despite talks among officials in Washington about using the 25th Amendment or impeachment to remove Trump from office in the coming days, Raffensperger said the president should be allowed to complete his term, then the United States should move on and begin the healing process.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s senatorial election certification deadline is January 22, although Raffensperger plans to certify the results as soon as possible, he said.

“My heart may be broken as a Republican,” he said, “but we have a job to do”.

CNN’s Devon M. Sayers contributed to this report.

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