# Trump Pressured Georgia Official to ‘Find’ Enough Votes to Overturn Election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 3, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592 "2021-01-03T20:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/343 "2021-01-06T03:45:49Z")
> [@agzem](#): > > I’ve noted on the other thread that I thought replying to a moderator was private and visible on to the moderator. No, it never was. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/344 "2021-01-06T04:48:15Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > raffensperger is on cnn now. he keeps saying “he (trump) has bad data”. that is his answer for nearly everything. If he thinks saying that will somehow save his political future, he should really think again. See also Sessions, Jeff. It’s like they just can’t learn from someone else’s experience. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/345 "2021-01-06T08:39:31Z")
Remember Cleta Mitchell, the lawyer who was with Trump during this phone call trying to shake down and threaten Brad Raffensperger unless he could “find” enough votes for Trump to win Georgia? In the aftermath, it appears she was forced to resign (or possibly fired outright) from her longtime law firm, which wanted nothing further to do with her. She blamed “leftist groups” for her personal troubles. No, Cleta, you should blame the fact that everything that Trump touches turns to shit, and many of his co-conspirators end up in jail. > **[Attorney who assisted Trump on call with Georgia officials resigns from law...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/05/politics/cleta-mitchell-resigns-trump-georgia/index.html)** > > Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who assisted President Donald Trump on the January 2 call when Trump pressured Georgia officials to "find" him votes, has resigned from her law firm. Meanwhile, another lawyer trying to help Trump overturn the election may face disciplinary action: > **[Federal judge hints at possible discipline against lawyer after another GOP...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/politics/discipline-election-lawsuit-republicans/index.html)** > > A federal judge in Washington, DC, suggested on Monday that lawyers representing the Wisconsin Voters Alliance and other groups, which have backed efforts in several courts in line with President Donald Trump seeking to overturn President-elect Joe... ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/346 "2021-01-06T10:37:48Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > i would have liked him to ask the president. “what exactly would you like me to do?” “where am i to find the votes you want?” “do i subtract from biden and give them to you?” “how do i do this after the votes have been certified, and electors have voted?” > > get him to be specific. Which is **exactly** what Raffensperger and Germany **didn’t** do. This post has made me realise something. I sat through the whole hour of that woeful tape; I haven’t seen the point highlighted upthread - apologies if I have missed it - but **Raffensperger and Germany were extremely passive during the call**. I don’t know _why_ they were, but the effect of their passivity is to nullify potential accusations that they in some way led someone to say this or that. They did no leading. The net effect is that the potential for a distracting argument is removed. j ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/347 "2021-01-06T10:51:58Z")
I noticed that they were both very, very good about not rising to any of Trump’s bait: “right?” “you know that” etc. It’s part of his (and others) style to always get you to agree with them; it’s really obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/348 "2021-01-06T11:15:11Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I don’t know _why_ they were, but the effect of their passivity is to nullify potential accusations that they in some way led someone to say this or that. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I noticed that they were both very, very good about not rising to any of Trump’s bait: “right?” “you know that” etc. The reason they were “passive” is because the more you engage with a crazy person, the more it encourages them to keep the crazy going. Consider Trump’s calls to _Fox and Friends_ - when they quickly devolve from “friendly banter” to “rambling insanity”, you can watch the hosts shift into passive mode hoping that Trump will wind down and go away. I expect the same thing applies here. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/349 "2021-01-06T12:52:46Z")
Oh that’s “talking” they’re doing! ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/350 "2021-01-06T16:32:22Z")
I also suspect that they wanted to be very careful that nothing they said could be misconstrued. If they asked “What do you want me to do?” that could easily be interpreted as them going along with Trump’s demands. With something this important they probably took the position that the less said the better. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/351 "2021-01-06T17:02:56Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I noticed that they were both very, very good about not rising to any of Trump’s bait: “right?” “you know that” etc. > > It’s part of his (and others) style to always get you to agree with them; it’s really obnoxious. Og, yes, that IS obnoxious and I have encountered far too many (as in more than 0) people in my own experience who basically work on the basis of “I am right, of course, right?” A strategy to take advantage of people conditioned to that you don’t just throw a flat “no” or a flat “not true” at a Figure of Respect’s face when Others Are Listening, so as to not make them lose face, and then that can be used to later say “hey, you agreed” or “hey YOU are the one who gave a weaselwords answer rather than directly say yes or no”. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/352 "2021-01-06T17:22:20Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I also suspect that they wanted to be very careful that nothing they said could be misconstrued. If they asked “What do you want me to do?” that could easily be interpreted as them going along with Trump’s demands. With something this important they probably took the position that the less said the better. This, exactly. “What do you want me to do?” could be interpreted as participating in a conspiracy. They handled the call well. (I, too, gave up an hour of my life to listen to that pathetic, corrupt, unhinged discussion.) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/353 "2021-01-06T17:26:31Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > This, exactly. “What do you want me to do?” could be interpreted as participating in a conspiracy. They handled the call well. (I, too, gave up an hour of my life to listen to that pathetic, corrupt, unhinged discussion.) How about, “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/354 "2021-01-06T17:29:56Z")
LOL, for how much longer did you want that call to go on? If it was the FBI on that discussion and not fellow Republicans – even Republicans who now hate him and understand he is a crazy man – I would have expected a question such as you posed. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/355 "2021-01-06T17:36:33Z")
It’s a risk/reward analysis by Raffensperger: can he skirt the line of getting Trump to hang himself without Raffensperger looking complicit? Trump is a moron but he has somehow learned to be ambiguous enough in his demands that he can’t be pinned down. The possible reward just wasn’t worth any risk. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/356 "2021-01-06T18:50:58Z")
That would be a better phrasing. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/357 "2021-01-07T00:30:08Z")
Remember three days ago when this was Trump’s worst attack on democracy? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/358 "2021-01-07T00:46:27Z")
Like the old DJ said, the Hits just keep coming. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/359 "2021-01-07T01:21:00Z")
In this case I’d put an ‘s’ before ‘hits.’ ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/360 "2021-01-07T01:37:17Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Remember three days ago when this was Trump’s worst attack on democracy? Wow. Astounding. I’d forgotten how obsessed I was by this, just 48 hours ago! And then by the Georgia senate races! I can’t wait for the boring to begin. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/361 "2021-01-07T02:01:08Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I can’t wait for the boring to begin. We are certainly living in interesting times. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/362 "2021-01-07T02:45:08Z")
I think Trump’s attack on Georgia’s EV indirectly led to the election of the new Georgian Dem Senators. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592.md?page=19)