Brynn Anderson/AP
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger contradicted claims that former President Donald Trump insisted he violate his oath of office by fabricating enough votes to win the state, potentially putting the case against Donald Trump in jeapordy.
Raffensperger took the stand in a federal court in the Northern District of Georgia this week as part of a hearing on a motion by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who is one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the criminal case in Fulton County, Georgia. Meadows argued that the case should be removed to federal court, because he was just working for the president, and therefore cannot be tried in state court under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Meadows stunned many observers by testifying in his own defense. Raffensperger was subpoenaed to testify by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. According to George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley, Raffensperger testified that the call, while “extraordinary,” was a “settlement negotiation” in the context of an argument over whether to pursue another recount of votes — not a demand to make up new votes.
Turley argued that “The call was misrepresented by the [Washington] Post and the transcript later showed that Trump was not simply demanding that votes be added to the count but rather asking for another recount or continued investigation. Again, I disagreed with that position but the words about the finding of 11,780 votes was in reference to what he was seeking in a continued investigation. Critics were enraged by the suggestion that Trump was making the case for a recount as opposed to just demanding the addition of votes to the tally or fraudulent findings.”
Turley noted that Trump didn’t necessarily have the grounds for calling for a recount, and that he has been very critically of Trump and how he handled things, but said that he was not seeking to overturn the election and was simply seeking further investigation. Turley also slammed reports that Trump wasn’t seeking a recount because he didn’t use the word “recount” and said that “the transcript shows that Trump was still arguing for an additional recount or investigation”.
Turley also said that Willis may have overplayed her hand in regards to including Meadows and that the weak case on Meadows could provide grounds, not only for Meadows to seek removal, but for others to seek removal as well.
Raffebsperger’s testimony could also be used to dismiss at least some of the Fulton County indictments, particularly regarding “Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer,” Breitbart News has reported.
