Who is Brad Raffensperger? The truth behind leaked Trump Tapes and why POTUS told him to 'find 11,780 votes'
Donald Trump seems to be leaving no stone unturned to prove that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, as he’s yet again drawn the ire of many by pressuring a fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger to “find” rough votes to turn Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia.
In an alleged hour-long phone call obtained by The Washington Post, made by Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the POTUS is heard telling the latter, “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state." Reportedly, the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was also a part of the discussion.
After the call, on Sunday, January 3, Trump took to Twitter to let his followers know about his conversation with Raffensperger, in which he has stated that Georgia Secretary of State was “unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ‘ballots under table’ scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters', dead voters, and more”
I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia. He 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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2021
Even though Trump presented his side to the conversation, the actual contents of the call, as shared by a different publication, has irked many. The president has come under fire for his "desperate attempts" to overturn the election results in Georgia, which he lost to Joe Biden by 11, 779 votes.
What did Donald Trump tell Brad Raffensperger on the call?
On the call, Trump allegedly told Raffensperger, "All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state. The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, um, that you've recalculated."
He further asked Raffensperger and his general counsel Ryan Germany, who was also on the call, "Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? Because that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal."
Besides calling Raffensperger a "child", the POTUS also accused him and his lawyer Ryan of "criminal offense" as they refused to believed the election fraud and report it. However, Raffensperger took to Twitter on January 3 to respond to Trump's tweet and said, "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out."
Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out https://t.co/ViYjTSeRcC
— GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (@GaSecofState) January 3, 2021
Who is Brad Raffensperger?
Born in 1955, Brad Raffensperger currently serves as the secretary of state of Georgia. He is also a civil engineer and has served in the Georgia House of Representatives representing 50 districts, before assuming office for his current role in 2019.
He has been in the news since the presidential election in November 2020, after which he was allegedly pressurized by fellow Republicans for the recounting of votes after Biden won against Trump. He ever ordered a statewide audit of 5 million votes in Georgia, in which Biden led Trump by approximately 14,000 votes.
In the latest call, when Trump pushed him further to prove the Georgia election a fraud, Raffensperger said, "Well, Mr President, the challenge you have is the data you have is wrong."."