Election chief wants fraud allegations stopped
“President Trump’s Justice Department has seen no widespread fraud. ... And our investigators have seen no widespread fraud, either.”
– GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE BRAD RAFFENSPERGER
ATLANTA — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on President Donald Trump to drop his allegations of voting fraud in Georgia.
At a Wednesday news conference at the Georgia State Capitol, Raffensperger decried Trump’s continued insistence that voter fraud cost him the election in Georgia and elsewhere. The secretary cited this week’s comments by U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who said federal investigators have seen no evidence of widespread fraud that would affect the outcome of the election, which was won by former Vice President Joe Biden.
“President Trump’s Justice Department has seen no widespread fraud,” Raffensperger said. “They have had multiple investigations, like us. And our investigators have seen no widespread fraud, either.”
The secretary’s comments come as Trump’s supporters continue to press claims of voter fraud in court. Attorneys handling two of those lawsuits have scheduled a news conference in Alpharetta Wednesday. So far, their allegations have not held up in court.
Raffensperger’s comments also came a day after one of his top deputies, Gabriel Sterling, blasted Trump and Georgia U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue for remaining silent as some of the president’s angry supporters threatened several people involved in Georgia elections.
After Sterling’s comments, both senators and Trump’s campaign issued statements condemning such threats.
Raffensperger, who has received threats and is protected by a security detail, said he supported Sterling’s comments. And he took his own turn criticizing Trump on Wednesday.
“Even after this office requested that President Trump try to quell the violent rhetoric being borne out of these continuing claims of winning the states that he obviously lost, he tweeted out ‘expose the massive voter fraud in Georgia,’” the secretary said. “This is exactly the kind of language that is at the base of a growing threat environment for election workers who are simply doing their jobs.”
The comments came on the final day of a recount of the presidential election in Georgia. Raffensperger said 110 of Georgia’s 159 counties have finished, and he expected all of them to meet Wednesday’s midnight deadline.
Raffensperger said there have been no substantial differences from the previous tally of votes. But if there are any variations, counties will need to recertify the results. The state expects to recertify the election by Friday afternoon.
The secretary also renewed his criticism of outside voter registration groups he says are trying to register people from out of state to vote in the January U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia. He said his deceased son received mail from one of the groups this week.
Raffensperger’s office is investigating whether the groups have violated Georgia laws. The groups have said they have done nothing improper.