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Former President Donald Trump’s phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is being investigated. During the phone call, Trump asked Raffensperger to find votes to overturn the election results.
“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,” Trump said in an audio recording released by the Washington Post.
During the phone call, Trump criticized Republicans for refusing to declare him as the winner in Georgia and claimed that the election was rigged. There is no credible evidence that the election was compromised. According to CNN, a Georgia prosecutor’s office is weighing whether to pursue criminal charges of election fraud against Trump.
“If you listen to the call, it sounds like any other call that you might have with an organized crime ring or drug conspiracy ring or something. And that is that you’ve got almost code talking about — this is what I need you to do, if you could just help me out here,” Michael J. Moore, former US attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Bret Williams, a former prosecutor in the US attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, said that Trump’s intent is crucial for the investigation.
“That’s the first question: Was there a solicitation and an intent behind it? I think you can make a very persuasive argument that that was the case, and that was the purpose of the phone call,” Williams told CNN.
The facts that are discovered during the investigation could result in criminal charges.
“Any investigation of a statutory violation is a potential criminal investigation depending on the statute involved,” David Worley, a Democrat on the state elections board, said. “The complaint that was received involved a criminal violation.”
According to the New York Times, after the audio recordings were published by the Washington Post, several complaints were filed. John F. Banzhaf III, a George Washington University law professor, filed a complaint
“I am very happy the Secretary of State’s office has opened an investigation into this matter, as I have been calling for since early January. I look forward to reviewing their report and deciding whether to refer the case to the Attorney General or District Attorney,” Worley said.
“As I promised Fulton County voters last year, as District Attorney, I will enforce the law without fear or favor,” Fani Willis, a Fulton County prosecutor, said. “Anyone who commits a felony violation of Georgia law in my jurisdiction will be held accountable. Once the investigation is complete, this matter, like all matters, will be handled by our office based on the facts and the law.”
