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Did Lindsey Graham toss out legal votes to help Trump win? Internet says 'he must resign or face prosecution'

Graham said he was attempting to figure out how votes were verified and that he thought Georgia 'has some protections that maybe other states don't have'

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Monday, November 16, accused the Republican leaders such as Sen Lindsey Graham for putting pressure on him to exclude legal ballots in order for President Donald Trump to be declared the winner and earn the state's 16 electoral votes.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Raffensperger revealed that Graham had asked him on Friday, November 13, if he had the authority to toss out ballots in counties with high rates of non-matching signatures. Graham also asked if poll workers had accepted ballots with non-matching signatures due to political bias, according to Raffensperger. Graham refused pressurizing Raffensperger to find ways to toss out legal votes, stating that he was attempting to figure out how votes were verified and that he thought Georgia "has some protections that maybe other states don't have".

"What I'm trying to find out was how do you verify signatures for mail-in ballots in these states. I thought it was a good conversation. I'm surprised to hear him characterize it that way," Graham told reporters on Monday. Raffensperger said he and his wife had also received death threats recently. One of those threats read: “You better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it,” he told the Post.  Raffensperger said efforts to cast aside legal ballots frustrated him.

“Other than getting you angry, it’s also very disillusioning, particularly when it comes from people on my side of the aisle,” he told the Post. “Everyone that is working on this needs to elevate their speech. We need to be thoughtful and careful about what we say," he added. Rep Doug Collins (R-Ga) has also been critical of Raffensperger, accusing him of siding with the Democrats because he has not backed voter fraud claims more fervently. Responding to Collins's accusations, Raffensperger said, "I’m an engineer. We look at numbers. We look at hard data. I can’t help it that a failed candidate like Doug Collins is running around lying to everyone. He’s a liar."

As soon as the issue came to light, people started slamming Graham. One Internet user said, "Lindsey Graham must resign or face prosecution or both." While another wrote, "To be very clear, Lindsey Graham has been illegally pressuring state election officials to throw away legal ballots and we are supposed believe he won re-election fairly without any election fraud? Hell to the no, hand recount South Carolina, force him to resign and arrest him."

One tweet read, "If true, Senator Lindsey Graham’s attempted election fixing is a major scandal." Another user quipped, "Lindsey Graham should be expelled from the Senate for trying to subvert free & fair elections."

Political advisor Adam Parkhomenko wrote, "Lindsey Graham is pressuring local officials to throw out legal ballots!!! Now this is a f**king scandal!!!" Another one accused him and said, "Lindsey Graham would have helped Nixon erase the tapes."

Another said, "I’m guessing Lindsey Graham was pressuring the Georgia SOS to throw out legal ballots around the same time the really smart people were telling there’s no reason to worry about republicans stealing the election." Requesting an investigation, one wrote, "Time for a Senate ethics investigation, Lindsey Graham."

Questioning Graham's victory, another said, "Georgia Secretary of State just said Lindsey Graham STUNNED him by asking if all mail-in ballots in certain counties can be thrown out. Is this how Lindsey won South Carolina by over 10 points, when polls had them neck and neck."

Dubbing Collins and Graham a "traitor" one said, "Lindsey Graham and Doug Collins are traitors."