Raffensperger says hemay have conflict in a Trump call inquiry
Georgia Secretary ATLANTA— of State Brad Raffensperger said Monday his office may have a conflict of interest investigating the legality of President Trump’s phone call with him over theweekend and another agencymay have to handle any inquiry.
Raffensperger, speaking on ABC’s Good Morning America, did not say directly whetherhewould investigate if Trump violated state election lawduring the hour-long call Saturday inwhichTrump asked him to find votes to help sway the election his way. The secretary of state’s office has a team of investigators who examine potential violations ofGeorgia election law, andonSunday, state election board member David Worley, a Democrat, asked Raffensperger, a Republican, to open aninvestigation.
Raf fens per ger told ABC that having his office investigate may be inappropriate, since he and others on his staffhad spoken directly withTrump. ButRaffensperger said Fulton County District Attorney Fa ni Willis may have an interest in reviewing the case.
“Maybe that’s the appropriate venue to go,” Raffensperger said.
In a statement, Willis said her office would handle the matter “based on the facts and the law.”
The phone call Saturday exploded in controversy Sunday when a recording and transcript were released. It reveals Trump badgering and berating Raffensperger during the hour-long call in which he repeats various discredited conspiracy theories about why he won the election in Georgia. He asks Raffensperger to help him and to find votes to reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Raffensperger and his aides were on the call and told Trump that his data and information is wrong.
OnMonday, ABC’sGeorge Step ha no poul os asked Raf fens per ger if Trump’ s request was unlawful.
“I’m not a lawyer,” Raffensperger said. “All I know is that we’re gonna follow the law, followthe process. Truth matters, and we’ ve been fighting these rumors for the last two months.”
Experts in Georgia election law said Trump’s call may have violated as many as three statutes: one concerningconspiracy to commit election fraud, another prohibiting solicitation to commit fraud, and another that prohibits interfering with the duties of an election official. The first two can be prosecuted as felonies, the third as a misdemeanor.
“Trump is basically asking Raffensperger to throw the election ,” said Michael J ab lon ski, a former general counsel for the Georgia Democratic Party. “He’s asking him to change the result without any legal basis.”
David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, has defended the call, criticizing the secretary of state’s office for secretly recording the conversation and releasing it.