# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/41 "2021-01-04T00:47:39Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I caught a glimpse (what do you call it when you hear it, not see it?) from the radio that I don’t know who in Ga. is preparing a lawsuit to contest that the recording was lawful. > (Nothing about, you know, the contents of the call…) > The first time today that l heard of this story, it was mentioned that in Ga. it is lawful for a person to record their calls without consent of the caller. > Lawyers? Not a lawyer, but I am permitted to use Google. [Georgia is a “one-party consent” state, so the claim is bullshit.](https://steakleylawfirm.com/faqs/162-recording-conversations-in-georgia.html) Caveat: this applies if both parties to the conversation are in Georgia. That said, Washington DC is also a one-party consent jurisdiction. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/42 "2021-01-04T00:59:02Z")
Belay my last. I misread that as “unlawful.” My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/43 "2021-01-04T01:04:25Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Give things a few more years and the retirements of the non-crazy Republican senators, and things could get even crazier, if that’s possible The Trumplican Party is going to be a complete shit-show going forward, as the normal Republicans leave it. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/44 "2021-01-04T01:04:32Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Towards the end, he basically goes to straight up extortion and tells him if they don’t straighten it out and do the right thing, etc. before Tuesday’s election that his supporters won’t vote. … Trump will try to sabotage the Georgia Republican candidates regardless of what Raffensperger does or does not do. If Perdue or Loeffler win–and especially if they both win–that will leave Donald as the sole major-office GOP loser in Georgia. Donald will not be able to tolerate that. If Perdue and Loeffler lose, then that’s okay; it shows that the Fix is In in Georgia and the entire system is Riddled with Fraud. But if one or both win, then the system is working fine and the fix is NOT in. It’s just a case of Donald being a LOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloserLOSERloser (etc.) So he’s not going to want them to win. He was happy to use the run-off as leverage for pressuring Raffensperger—but he really does _not_ want them to win. ---
**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 4, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/45 "2021-01-04T01:17:03Z")
Trump’s idiocy and averice has no bottom. Threatening and weedling a pol that he just spent the last six weeks lambasting is just stupid. I wonder if Meadows tried to stop Trump from having these phone calls because having it on tape seems very bad. Eventually one would get out. ---
**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 4, 2021, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/46 "2021-01-04T01:20:20Z")
Doesn’t that speak well of Raffensperger? When Republicans have had to they’ve stepped up to stop Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/47 "2021-01-04T01:20:32Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I wonder if Meadows tried to stop Trump I think whatever controls there were on the orange imbecile have been completely removed now. ---
**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 4, 2021, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/48 "2021-01-04T01:23:18Z")
Yeah, there certainly isn’t much control, although someone convinced him to sign that spending bill. The only reason I wonder about Meadows’ role is that he was on the call (right?). I would have thought he knew it was a bad idea and would have begged out. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/49 "2021-01-04T01:25:32Z")
I would not be at all surprised if Meadows was the person who leaked the tape to the Washington Post… ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/50 "2021-01-04T01:29:53Z")
By tightening their voting rules in an effort to suppress voting by undesirables, states like Georgia gave themselves no outs when Dems followed the rules to the letter and still turned out in record numbers to defeat Donald Trump. “Oops, weren’t counting on _THAT_.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/51 "2021-01-04T01:38:12Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > [@BobLibDem](#): > > > > Surely the Republicans will not stand for such a blatant abuse of power! > > Well, Raffensperger wouldn’t. > > Or more or less what gdave said – though I’ll add that a number of other Republican election officials in various states have also refused to go along. True enough. The GA state officials conducted themselves well. Even Kemp, who refused to step down as SoS in his own governor’s race against Stacey Abrams. But they have proven their integrity, as have other state officials in PA, MI, and AZ. I wish I could say the same about the Republicans in DC, and I really fear what would have happened had their been 60 Republican Senators and say 250 Republican Representatives. We’ve seen protest challenges to electors in the past, but this is the first one coordinated with the White House and I still think it poses a grave threat to the nation. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/52 "2021-01-04T01:47:39Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I would not be at all surprised if Meadows was the person who leaked the tape to the Washington Post I find it hilarious that no one even seems to care or question who leaked it. In other words, who _wouldn’t_ have leaked it? Anyone? Bueller?? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/53 "2021-01-04T01:48:30Z")
I edited my post. You probably read it fine. I typed it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/54 "2021-01-04T01:51:12Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Trump can’t help it: he cheats. At everything, even U.S. presidential elections. Really makes you wonder about the 2016 election. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/55 "2021-01-04T01:55:02Z")
Released, apparently, not leaked. From the New York Times article referenced in the OP: > Officials in the secretary of state’s office recorded Saturday’s call, and Mr. Raffensperger told his advisers that he did not want to release a transcript or a recording unless the president attacked state officials or misrepresented what had been discussed, according to a person familiar with his direction. > **As expected, [that attack came in a tweet](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1345731043861659650?s=20) on Sunday morning,** in which Mr. Trump claimed that Mr. Raffensperger “was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ‘ballots under table’ scam, ballot destruction, out of state ‘voters’, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!” > In a response on Twitter, [Mr. Raffensperger wrote](https://twitter.com/GaSecofState/status/1345753643593687040?s=20): “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true. The truth will come out.” The recording of the call was made public several hours later. I’m amused by the bolded bit… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/56 "2021-01-04T02:10:23Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > He’s not going to be impeached again; it’s up to the American people to ensure he never holds office again Well yeah, I know that. But this is a **representative democracy**. We elect representatives to act on our behalf. So if I wasn’t factoring in the sheer gutlessness of the Democratic Party, I think it would be a reasonable expectation for the House to act on the behalf of the American public in this case. Since I am factoring that in, I know that another impeachment will not happen. I think that’s a crying shame. If a President commits multiple impeachable offenses, he should be impeached for the most significant of them, if not for all of them. This is pretty damn significant. If Nancy Pelosi chooses to merely say what a bad boy Trump is, but chooses not to do anything about it, she has failed to do her job of defending our democratic system of government against the most serious attack it’s seen in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I expect her to lie down and do nothing. I would love to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/57 "2021-01-04T02:11:37Z")
It’s not treason. > [@U.S. Constitution Article III](#): > > Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. Unless he stages an armed attack on the Capitol, he’s safe from treason charges. ---
**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 4, 2021, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/58 "2021-01-04T02:14:19Z")
[https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/house/532454-georgia-dem-lawmaker-to-seek-censure-of-trump-over-raffensperger-call%3Famp](https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/house/532454-georgia-dem-lawmaker-to-seek-censure-of-trump-over-raffensperger-call%3famp) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/59 "2021-01-04T02:14:19Z")
Dan Rather has the best summary: The audio of Trump with the Georgia secretary of state. Wow. It’s like telling the Nixon tapes to “hold my beer.” The more I hear of this, the more my jaw drops. This is even more incriminating than the “perfect” Ukraine call. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/60 "2021-01-04T02:17:29Z")
> [@Dan Rather as quoted by BobLibDem](#): > > The audio of Trump with the Georgia secretary of state. Wow. It’s like telling the Nixon tapes to “hold my beer.” The Smoking ~~Gun~~ Loose Cannon Tape! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592.md?page=4)