R&I NV — State investigating complaint that followed Trump pressuring Georgia secretary of state to ‘find’ enough votes to beat Biden
The Georgia secretary of state’s office opened an investigation on Monday into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, according to a new report.
The office of Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state, had faced calls to open an investigation after Trump was recorded in a 2 January phone call pressuring Raffensperger to overturn the state’s election results based on unfounded voter fraud claims.
“The secretary of state’s office investigates complaints it receives,” said Walter Jones, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, describing the investigation as “fact-finding and administrative”, Reuters reported.
“Any further legal efforts will be left to the attorney general,” he said.
Legal experts said Trump’s phone calls might have violated at least three state criminal election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, and intentional interference with performance of election duties.
The felony and misdemeanor violations are punishable by fines or imprisonment.
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Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/08/trump-georgia-investigation-2020-election-result