Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday and spent an hour on the phone with him, pleading, cajoling, threatening, and demanding that he “find 11,780 votes” to flip the state to Trump’s column. Georgia’s state leaders are Republicans. The November vote in Georgia was counted three times.
In an exclusive report, the Washington Post quoted from a recording of the telephone call:
President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that election experts said raised legal questions.
The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the Secretary of State refused to pursue his false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking “a big risk.”
Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office’s general counsel rejected his assertions, explaining that Trump is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden’s 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.
Trump dismissed their arguments. “The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry,” he said. “And there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you’ve recalculated.”
Raffensperger responded: “Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.”
At another point, Trump said: “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”
The rambling, at times incoherent conversation, offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still believing he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.
“There’s no way I lost Georgia,” Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. “There’s no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.”
Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP lawyer whose involvement with Trump’s efforts had not been previously known.
In a statement, Mitchell said that Raffensperger’s office “has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the President’s election challenge has said the same thing: show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong.”
The White House, the Trump campaign and Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Raffensperger’s office declined to comment.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was “unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the “ballots under table” scam, ballot destruction, out of state “voters”, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!”
Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true.”
The article continues to quote the conversation in detail. It’s worth subscribing to the Washington Post to read this article in full.
Trump threatens the Georgia Secretary of State with legal consequences if he does not switch the vote for him and warns that the Senate elections will be jeopardized by the state leaders’ failure to change the results.
But Trump’s actions were legally dubious.
Trump’s conversation with Raffensperger put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By exhorting the secretary of state to “find” votes and to deploy investigators who “want to find answers,” Trump appears to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia.
But experts said Trump’s clearer transgression is a moral one. Edward B. Foley, a law professor at the Ohio State University, said that the legal questions are murky and would be subject to prosecutorial discretion. But he also emphasized that the call was “inappropriate and contemptible” and should prompt moral outrage.
“He was already tripping the emergency meter,” Foley said. “So we were at 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and now we’re at 15.”
It’s called Subornation of Fraud, Malfeasance, and Perjury …
Exactly
Illegal (should be), immoral and undemocratic, to put it mildly. Thank goodness Raffensperger isn’t a weak-kneed coward or a Trump sycophant. This should be shocking but after 4 years of Trumpism, it’s numbed us to the true horror of this putz and his followers.
Georgia already had counts. All confirmed Biden win.
I think this helps explains why Bill Barr resigned as Trump’s most loyal AG. Even Barr couldn’t stomach Trump’s malignant narcissist, psycho-sociopathic, unhinged, desperate, alleged corruption.
Trump must be counting on his MAGA hat-wearing loyalists to protest violently when he is dragged shouting and screaming into state and federal courts to answer to all of his alleged crimes before and after he was president.
I think Trump’s last effort to pull off a coup is counting on the Proud Boys and other white supremacist militias to launch a civil war before or on January 6th to keep him in power. If that doesn’t happen, he will keep holding rallies attempting to get them to rebel anyway.
If all of that failes before Biden is sworn in as the next president on January 20th, Trump will probably flee to another country that will not extradite him. Since his family has laundered more than $600 million in cash from his campaign war chest, he will have plenty of money to live a lavish lifestyle in Russia, North Korea one of the other 72 countries that do not have extradition treaties with the U.S.
The Vatican is on that list. Does anyone think the Pope will grant Trump asylum there?
From that country, Trump will use Social Media (if he isn’t blocked) and/or his MAGA hat-wearing loyalists in the U.S. to keep his bully voice alive as he continues to call for a revolution while claiming he is a president in exile and Biden is in the White House illegally.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-without-extradition
Sounds like a reasonable prediction.
“Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP lawyer whose involvement with Trump’s efforts had not been previously known.”
A resume at the Bradley Foundation, where she serves as on the Board and as Secretary is revealing. She knows exactly how to push Trump’s version of ethical conduct. https://www.bradleyfdn.org/our-people/cleta-mitchell
See also her obnoxious comments and support of the Tea Party on this Twitter feed. https://twitter.com/cletamitchell?lang=en
She is an alligator who is perfectly happy to be in Trump’s swamp.
If leta is a expert on election law, why didn’t she tell Trump that it’s over and that his arm-twisting is illegal?
There wouldn’t be 140 House Representatives and 10-11 Senators engaged in sedition if Charles Koch told members of Congress that there would be no campaign funds from him for those who supported the coup against Biden’s legitimate election.
A Bradley Foundation webpage identifies “Our People”. The list of 10 includes Cleta Mitchell and Robert P. George, author of the Manhattan Declaration and founder of the National Organization for Marriage. (In 2011, Mitchell was an attorney for NOM.) The New Civil Rights Movement website posted, “Opinion: NOM’s Robert George is Responsible for Family Research Council’s Anti-Gay Hate Speech…(George) is embedded in the U.S. Government as part of the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom.” (4-29-2014).
Mitchell, in an argument against Notre Dame protesters who opposed Pence’s invitation to speak at the University, quoted “Catholic doctrinal teachings”. She wrote (RealClear Religion, 5-24-2017, “The Strange Hypocrisy of the Notre Dame Protests) that the “most vulnerable group in our society is the unborn children”.
It is America’s tragedy that the immoral right wing has been permitted, without rebuke, to create a niche base of loyalists who use a faulty if not false religious plank to get votes for men like Trump and Cruz.
The campaign hides the right wing’s true goals, second class citizenship for women and oligarchy.
Others in the Bradley’s “Our People” list included a man who cites his membership in the Knights of Columbus and a lecturer in law at Georgetown Catholic University.
CNBC 6-25-2019
“Steve Bannon’s decision to hire Mitchell comes as he continues to protect the identity of his contributors and tries to stay in the good graces of Pres. Donald Trump.” Some might suspect that Mitchell’s willingness to take the case is indicative that Bannon still has wealthy and influential friends.
Bannon recognized the power of the protected religion in winning elections and he was the chief architect for the campaign.
Trump is losing it upstairs. This is just plain crazy. Now he is resorting to pleading with officials to find votes for him. What will Trump do when nobody listens to him?
………………………………………..
Chicago Tribune:
…The president, who has refused to accept his loss to the Democratic president-elect, is heard telling Raffensperger at one point: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”
Georgia certified election results showing that Biden won the state’s Nov. 3 election by 11,779 votes…
Trump doesn’t know that the election iso er, the votes were counted and recounted, the Electoral College meta data voted, the EC votes were certified. Will someone tell him?
“Losing it upstairs?” That elevator has done left the building, having reached below subterranean depths loooong ago (just read Mary Trump).
It’s just happening as Dr. Mary had predicted: the close it gets to it45’s personal Doomsday, the more desperate it becomes…like a caged animal.
Except, unfortunately for us, it remains uncaged.
Hopefully, the Souther District of NY will be able to change its status.
Nothing could come soon enough for us. Lock it in!
The way of all would be dictators. The way of third world countries. When Trump first came into office someone with prescience stated that the one thing we have to prevent catastrophe is our Constitution. Now it would seem that PERHAPS even that may not be enough. Not just Trump but the way forward from now on by his shenanigans. We shall have to wait and see but other very prescient people have said much the same thing. Given ALL the lies and misrepresentations actually believed by so many Americans shows just how fragile our democratic form of government is.
This is the Nixon moment when he was advised to resign. Republican Senators should gather up and muster the patriotic infused gumption enough to march indignantly to the White House and not only advise but demand Trump resign. Get him started on that refuge trip to Russia.
I hope to see a moving van in front of the White House this week.
Never have I been so infuriated at any politician. This narcissistic nincompoop threatens our democracy beyond that of any external force past or present. If only the House could impeach him tomorrow and the Senate find him guilty the next day. The hell with his resigning.
God bless the fourth estate.
GeorgeConway said it best:
I would add a fourth and fifth:
Absolutely right! I wish there was a way to stop him from all of that he’s been doing and will do. Not knowing much about the law, I would guess the Republican Party is the way, but those self-absorbed @$&?! seem only worried about their political careers. Heaven forbid that they’d have some concern for the people of the country who elected them or for the Constitution they pledged to uphold. I’m so lucky to have two of the absolutely worse and possibly the dumbest, Congressmen Mo Brooks and now Tommy Tuberville. Wish he’d crawl back to Florida. Shelby is not much better but he doesn’t play the games, maybe he’s too old. I, as are many others, am tired of these rants, lies, and lawsuits. The stress levels are very high and the headaches too frequent.
Of course he knows what he is doing is wrong. He understands the constitution. He just does not care.
Roy,
I seldom disagree with you.
I don’t believe Trump ever read the Constitution or any part of theBible.
Remember when he said that Article 2 says the president can do whatever he wants.
It says no such thing.
The Founders wanted lots of checks on power.
They had had enough of royalty.
It needs to be called by ALL media exactly what it is: a coup attempt. The orange creep and those 150 Congresspersons should all be tried for sedition at the least.
Agreed
Louisville teachers demand union President step down over bungled pension rescue.
https://www.change.org/p/jcta-president-teachers-thank-jcta-president-brent-mckim-for-20-years-of-service-now-please-step-aside?recruiter=72429157&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=7877525f-c1d0-439d-a3dd-3e2a93a82638&utm_content=fht-26648840-en-us%3A2&fbclid=IwAR1-oyqeApFf39xLFNWVp4vGgfWOtx0JqIhWnfkQT6EOINS9hlDJoveedZg
[https://assets.change.org/photos/4/zl/bb/TdZLBbIFaylbDaP-1600×900-noPad.jpg?1609600711]
Sign the Petition
Teachers thank JCTA President Brent McKim for 20 years of service. Now, please step aside.
http://www.change.org
________________________________
Shameless, extreme criminal self-serving sociopath. We’re in a dangerous moment b/c vast wealth and deep institutional power count for more than the Constitution. At this point, Trump is just shy of the institutional power he needs to pull off a coup–GOP majority in Senate but not a consolidated GOP Senate majority for a coup, some reluctant GOP Senators–and a reluctant Trump majority on SCOTUS who will argue every decision to favor oligarchy and conservative culture but see no compelling reason to go for broke and overthrow the election, especially since Biden is part of the oligarchy and will have a weak hand in Congress. Trump is forcing every possible agent into his overthrow camp but at this point in history, at least, it is still not enough for a coup. Some failed coup-mongers learn from their failed attempts and re-do it, like the CIA/military coup in Chile in 1973 that overthrew the democratically-elected Allende govt. A coup the year before identified which generals could be counted on and which not; one very impt General who opposed the first coup, Romy Schneider, was murdered to enable the second one to succeed. Trump may be back for another attempt–he has the money, the organization, the mass media, and the mass base to keep him in the game for a while.
Trump didn’t read his Dummies’ Guide to Becoming an Oligarchical President for Life. You have to get all the instruments of state violence firmly under control first. We’ll have to wait for the sequel for that one.
Yes, he didn’t get enough of the agents needed for a coup in time but his many firings of cabinet-level and sub-cabinet staff indicate he was busily at work to fin total loyalists for each key position. His extent of control went alarmingly far but not yet far enough.
One of his fired aides said he was not competent to organize a coup.
His stupidity may have saved us.
Occam’s Razor: he is a bitter, spoiled, entitled, desperate loser. It’s over.
What’s disgusting is the number of Republican members of Congress who are groveling at his feet.
I went to college with old Bill Occam. He never used that razor.
Occam is great advice, thank you. Trump is all you say. His ability to control such a large bloc of GOP as well as to pull Democrats to the right is a longer term problem, IMHO. Still, it’s always possible for demagogic leaders to fade and to wear out their welcome. Gen. Boulanger in 1889 was wildly popular among many disgusted with the Third Republic and was on verge of leading a coup on 100th anniversary of Bastille Day but fled Paris with his girlfriend and faded away.
The Washington Post
Alert
News Alert
Jan. 3, 5:02 p.m. EST
All 10 living ex-defense secretaries: The election is over. Trying to use the military to dispute the result would be dangerous.
“Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” write the 10 former defense secretaries: Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld. “Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.”
Incitement to treason.
A very low point in the nation’s history. COVID exploding, the long-awaited vaccine program seemingly stuck in low gear…the dark of winter….and THIS!
Thank God some people are standing up for what’s right.
Trump says he was chosen by God. Leaders of the two major U.S. religions support both Trump and the GOP. Trump wouldn’t have won in 2016 nor, would the race have been close in 2020 without the religious vote.
Odd that God would choose the most immoral irreligious person to be our leader.
More likely, Satan chose him.
TAGO!
GA Code § 21-2-604 (2016)
“A person commits the offense of criminal solicitation to commit election fraud in the first degree when, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony under this article, he or she solicits, requests, commands, importunes ….”
45 broke the law in Georgia. It is up to Georgia to prosecute and I hope they do.
The Teflon Don 2.0 adds to his long, long, long, long list of criminal offenses.
I believe trump did this on purpose and released the tape himself. He WANTS to be asked/made to resign so that Pence can pardon him. He is daring government to take a stand to prove that politicians only care about themselves and not about Democracy or the Constitution. He is leaving the WH. His family is gone. His biggest toadies have bailed on him and he needs to try and stay out of prison. He is having fun by stirring the pot and sowing discord. This is just reality TV ala DJT style. I’m not surprised by it at all and I’m not worried about a coup.
The only stand that the Republicans are taking is to support Trump. I don’t understand why everyone who cares about democracy isn’t worried.
If all factors are such that a Category 5 hurricane could happen, it is time to worry. It is time to prepare for the worst, even as you hope and understand that it could also blow out to the middle of the Atlantic and just be a tropical storm.
I am also wondering who released the recording of the phone rant. Trump? Anything’s possible but if it wasn’t Trump, then who? Is it that easy to get recordings of the president’s conversations that in some cases do involve matters of national security? Trumpian dystopia and kakistocracy.
Many people were on the line. At least five that we know of. Probably more than one in Georgia.
Trump, Brad R., Mark Meadows, Cleta Mitchell, the lawyer for the GA Secretary of State. That’s five.
You do realize that DJT helped the National Enquirer become a booming business by releasing his own tawdry information before it became common knowledge? And those at the National Enquirer were beholden to DJT. It’s his “MO”. Trump released the recording. He is a con man to the end and has always pushed the limits on legality. Yes, it’s dangerous, but he is a reality TV junkie and narcissist and he can’t help himself. The sad part is that he has been enabled by more than a few. Why Georgia and not PA or Wisconsin?……more media coverage and more sick fun for him. Who knows, this just may make the Dems very happy by Tuesday evening? Trump is only at the WH right now to wrap up business and create a bigger mess on the way out the door.
Do you think he had the same conversation with other states? GA is not enough to change the outcome?
From the NYTimes: Officials in the secretary of state’s office recorded Saturday’s call, and Mr. Raffensperger told his advisers that he did not want to release a transcript or a recording unless the president attacked state officials or misrepresented what had been discussed, according to a person familiar with his direction. end quote
The above quote implies that it was Raffensperger who released the recording to the media.
This really isn’t about Trump. This is about all the people enabling him.
Trump has always been like a spoiled child. He was indulged by everyone, including his bankers who let him declare bankruptcy after bankruptcy, and the media, who gave him undeserved credibility starting way back before The Art of the Deal days. When the media lost interest in indulging him, a production company saw a chance to turn him into a tv star and Hollywood enabled him. When his bankers lost interest, Russian oligarchs enabled him. As candidate and president, he was enabled by the most corrupt Republican party in history. And he was enabled by a handful of people on the left who kept minimizing the danger and attacking Trump’s critics instead of Trump! Trump’s actions were normalized and he grew more and more outrageous and fascist.
The fact that Ted Cruz is now enabling the man who told America that Ted Cruz’ father helped assassinate JFK and Ted Cruz’ wife is ugly says it all.
The truest thing Trump said is that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would be okay. We didn’t realize that Trump could also kill democracy and his enablers would condone it.
A description of Trump’s Navarro, “A keystone cop of coup coups”
The Recount (@therecount) Tweeted:
.@carlbernstein, the man who co-broke Watergate, says of the newly released Trump tapes, “It’s not déjà vu, this was something far worse than Watergate.” https://t.co/MXBupvjqpx
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is now one more thing debased by Trump. Rush L didn’t deserve this medal and giving it to more sycophants is one more stupid act.
……………………………….
Trump Expected To Award Presidential Medal Of Freedom To Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan
President Donald Trump is expected to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Reps. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), two political allies who have defended him throughout his presidency and during his impeachment, The Washington Post first reported on Sunday.
Nunes was one of Trump’s loudest cheerleaders in his efforts to undermine the Justice Department’s investigation of Russian interference into the 2016 election. Nunes will be awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor on Monday, Axios reported, citing three sources familiar with the plans.
During an interview on “Fox & Friends” back in October 2018, Trump suggested that Nunes deserved the medal for his fight against the Russia probe.
Jordan also has a long history of supporting Trump’s conspiracy theories and last month, he called for a congressional investigation into the “integrity of the 2020 election” that Trump lost. Jordan is expected to receive the medal next week…
Article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medal-of-freedom-devin-nunes_n_5ff2a0f5c5b61817a5379cce?ncid=engmodushpmg00000006
John Hileman on morning joe was no help…..offering the pointless Hawley (and Cruz) are not dumb guys……so he is puzzled by what they are doing.
If Hawley is not dumb, the people in Missouri who shoveled our electoral votes to Trump, and elected Hawley are.
Hawley abd Cruz are not dumb. They are evil.
I LOVE this one. Hope it comes through.
Trump is a loser. 16 days left (@PamBorgelt) Tweeted:
@realDonaldTrump How to trigger a Trumper in 3, 2, 1… https://t.co/KsLJ8AresM
Let it be remembered that the following United States Senators were TRAITORS willing, in order to further their own short-term political ambitions,
a) to steal from states and thus from the people their Constitutional right to hold elections and choose electors for President and
b) to confer that power to choose the President on whatever party happens to control the Congress:
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Mike Braun, Indiana
Ted Cruz, Texas
Bill Hagerty, Tennessee
Josh Hawley, Missouri
Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
John Kennedy, Louisiana
James Lankford, Oklahoma
Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
Roger Marshall, Kansas
Tommy Tuberville, Alabama
Joining them are over 100 equally treasonous Representatives.
These evil and entirely self-serving Judases (those are precisely the words for it) have demonstrated that they are quite willing to BETRAY THEIR COUNTRY AND ITS CORE PRINCIPLES if they think that doing so might bring them some short-term personal political benefit (approval by Donald Trump and by the most extreme members of his base to further their own chances of reelection). These lowlife quislings are quite willing to throw over our democratic system and to establish an autocratic state if this will further their ambitions.
“[L]owliness is young ambition’s ladder.” –William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar: II, ii
Bob Shepherd: Mike Braun, Indiana…I sent Senator Mike Braun [R-IN] a letter telling him what I thought of his actions.
Braun won the election for Senator by convincing Hoosiers that he was the strongest supporter of Trump. He is a wealthy businessman who has bricks in his head. Guess he’ll do anything to prove that he is Trump’s greatest supporter.