Georgia criminal probe into Donald Trump gains new ammunition
It seems that everyone is writing a book these days about all the misdeeds of Donald Trump while in office. It is sad that most failed to make the information public while he was busy destroying our country, but at least one may help in the end. Daily Beast reported on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s new book, “Integrity Counts,” of which they received an advanced copy. In the case of Raffensperger’s book, it will perhaps help with criminal charges that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating.
Showing how intent he was on trying to change the outcome of the Georgia election, Trump tried a total of 18 times to reach Raffensperger before finally getting him on the phone. The call that got through came after Trump, who was, as usual, glued to Fox News and saw Raffensperger, who shared: “President Trump still lost. Then we did a full recount. President Trump still lost.” Can you imagine how Trump’s blood must have been boiling? According to Raffensperger, Trump tried to call immediately after that appearance via Mark Meadows, who reached out to Jordan Fuchs, Raffensperger’s deputy. While the book details that Raffensperger took the call from his kitchen, on the phone with him were Fuchs and the department’s head lawyer. Not only did Raffensperger record the call, but he had two witnesses on the line.
Raffensperger includes a transcript of the phone call in his book, and during the call, Trump told him that claiming the election to be legitimate was “very dangerous,” which parties to the call took as Trump’s attempts to intimidate Raffensperger. Raffensperger aptly referred to Trump as a “bully” and went on to say: “I felt then—and still believe today—that this was a threat.” Trump even had the nerve to tell Raffensperger that supporting the legitimate outcome of the election was “a big risk for you” and “a criminal offense.” How so? Hiding or suppressing the truth — that Trump lost — would have been a criminal offense. Telling the truth was not. Raffensperger minced no words in his revelations. He said that the call was “peppered with threats” from “a president who felt that bullying the secretary of state of Georgia was his only means to change the outcome.” Trump will have a whole new problem once this book hits the stands.
In Georgia, committing election fraud—even asking someone else to do it for you—is a felony. Fani Willis had already begun an investigation into Trump’s activities in Georgia before this book came to light. Now, she has proof in writing that Trump—and perhaps Mark Meadows and Trump’s lawyer—engaged in election fraud. It is likely that Willis already has this information, as she has interviewed Raffensperger and members of his staff. It would be like Christmas morning if Willis is able to charge and convict Trump of his crime. His guilt is evident, and we would get rid of him, at least for a while. Most of us will take a few months of years in jail to silence the biggest loser.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years