4:56(FILES) In this archived photograph from December 5, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a gathering to bolster Republican Senate hopefuls at Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Georgia. – According to news outlets on January 3, 2021, President Donald Trump exerted pressure on Georgia’s secretary of state during an unusual telephone discussion Saturday, urging him to “locate” sufficient ballots to undo Joe Biden’s triumph in the Southern state.Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
During a conversation lasting an hour with Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday, President Donald Trump wrongly asserted it was "not possible" for him to have been defeated in The Peach State, and requested that the secretary "find" the specific quantity of votes he required — just a single vote beyond the margin by which he trailed President-elect Joe Biden — so that he could be proclaimed the victor in an election that had been verified as lost by three independent counts.
“The populace of Georgia is incensed. The people of the nation are incensed, and there's no harm in indicating that, you know, that you've recalculated,” Trump stated during the call. "What I want to accomplish is simply this: I am merely seeking to locate 11,780 ballots, which represents one more than our deficit… Gentlemen, I require 11,000 ballots, cut me some slack."
Raffensperger, a Republican who endorsed the president's reelection bid yet has upheld that Georgia's election was legitimate and precise, countered the president's claims, asserting that the data the president is citing to allege the existence of tens of thousands of unlawful votes, "is incorrect."
Notwithstanding the president's insistence, the secretary unambiguously declared, "We are of the opinion that we possess a precise election."
"No, no, you don't. You don't have — you don't have — not remotely. You've got — you're off by hundreds of thousands of votes," Trump contended in reply.
FILE – In this Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 file photo, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during a news conference in Atlanta, announcing an audit of presidential election results that will trigger a full hand recount. In Georgia, Republicans have proposed requiring a photo ID when voting absentee, a ban on drop boxes and possibly a return to requiring an excuse for mail voting such as illness or traveling for work on Election Day. Early supporters of the ID requirement include Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp.Brynn Anderson/AP
The audio recording of what seems to be the complete telephone conversation, initially secured and covered by The Washington Post but also independently obtained by ABC News, represents merely the latest illustration of Trump’s endeavors to nullify the outcomes of an election he did not win. The president and his associates have been unsuccessful in excess of 50 legal actions challenging the results in numerous key states, and the conspiracy theories concerning the election, which Trump revisited in relation to Georgia throughout this telephone conversation, have been consistently challenged and discredited by state and local election authorities, in addition to former Attorney General William Barr.
Democrats promptly voiced their reactions to the news regarding the call.
Dick Durbin, the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate, commented that Trump’s "shameful attempt to coerce an elected official into willfully altering and misrepresenting the lawfully validated vote counts in his state strikes at the very essence of our democracy and warrants nothing short of a criminal investigation."
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been transformed into a specter within the GOP, stated that the telephone conversation constituted an "impeachable offense."
In Savannah, Georgia, while spearheading a gathering for the state's Democratic Senate candidates contending in a pair of runoff elections on Tuesday, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris characterized it as an "abuse of authority."
"Have you all caught wind of that recorded discussion? Well, indeed, it conveyed the sound of desperation. Without question. And it represented a blatant, audacious, conspicuous abuse of authority on the part of the president of the United States," she remarked.
The White House opted not to issue a statement regarding the call. Also identified as participants were Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, and Ryan Germany, the general counsel serving within Raffensperger's office.
The president is scheduled to headline a gathering in Georgia on Monday, on the cusp of the runoff elections that will ascertain which party will exercise control over the Senate throughout the initial two years of Biden’s administration. Should Democrats prevail in both contests, the partisan composition will stand at 50-50, inclusive of the independents who align with Democrats, and Harris would serve in the capacity of the tie-breaking vote.
Nevertheless, apprehensions among Republicans that Trump’s discourse concerning the election may dampen GOP participation are palpable, as previously documented by ABC News, and during this call, the president himself conceded that his supporters might opt to abstain from voting altogether.
"You have a significant election on the horizon… and attributable to your actions directed at the president, a substantial number of individuals are disinclined to vote. Furthermore, a multitude of Republicans are poised to cast negative votes as a consequence of their animosity toward your treatment of the president," Trump conveyed. "You would garner respect — profound respect, indeed — if this matter could be rectified before the election."
(FILES) In this file photo taken on December 05, 2020 US president Donald Trump speaks at a rally to support Republican Senate candidates at Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Georgia. – President Donald Trump pressured the Georgia secretary of state in an extraordinary phone conversation Saturday to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the Southern state, news media reported on January 3, 2021.Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
An examination of ballots already submitted via early voting and absentee mail-in ballots, conducted by Georgia Votes utilizing data from the secretary of state’s office, reveals that the five congressional districts exhibiting the highest turnout, relative to the November election, are all presently represented by Democrats. The district positioned second to last is among the most conservative within the state, specifically the northwest 14th Congressional District, where Trump’s gathering is slated for Monday.
Trump further accused Raffensperger of engaging in illicit conduct, falsely alleging that election personnel were “shredding ballots” — a claim he attributed to his personal assessment and anecdotal information — and asserted that the secretary was concealing this activity.
"Your culpability surpasses theirs, given your awareness of their actions and your failure to report them — an act constituting a transgression, a criminal infraction. You must not condone such behavior. This poses a considerable jeopardy to you and Ryan (Germany), your legal counsel," Trump conveyed during the call.
However, the secretary was not the sole recipient of the president’s indignation. Trump has not hesitated to publicly lambast Gov. Brian Kemp, another Republican who endorsed Trump’s reelection endeavor, but during this telephone conversation, he escalated his criticisms, branding himself a "schmuck" for supporting Kemp’s candidacy during the 2018 gubernatorial election.
"You have adversely shaped the demographic landscape of Georgia. The interplay between yourself and your governor, who languished at 21 — his approval ratings plummeted to 21 points, and like a schmuck, I endorsed him, thereby facilitating his election. However, I must convey that he is an utter disaster," Trump declared during the call.
He reiterated his criticisms of both Raffensperger and Kemp towards the conclusion of the conversation, stating, "I advocate for a resolution to this matter before the election; otherwise, you risk engendering widespread voter apathy. They lack the motivation to vote. They harbor antipathy toward the state, disdain for the governor, and animosity towards the Secretary of State, I assure you. And your only adherents are those who would never cast a vote in your favor, a reality well-known to you, Brad, is it not?
ABC News has reached out to Kemp’s office for comment, but has not received a response.
ABC News’ Briana Stewart, Elizabeth Thomas, Trish Turner and Mariam Khan contributed reporting.
This report was featured in the Monday, Jan 4, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
"Start Here" delivers a direct examination of the day’s leading narratives within a 20-minute timeframe. Access it at no cost every weekday through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app, or any other platform from which you acquire your podcasts.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
