President Donald Trump is urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to help him “find” the votes he needs to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry,” Trump said during a phone call with Georgia election officials, according to audio published by The Washington Post on Sunday.
He added, “And there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you’ve recalculated.”
Raffensperger replied, “Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.”
Trump asked the officials if they thought it was possible ballots were shredded in Fulton County.
He argued, “Dominion took out machines.”
General Counsel for Raffensperger Ryan Germany said Dominion did not take out machines in Fulton County.
Listen to the conversation below:
The audio of Trump demanding the Georgia secretary of state “find” enough votes so his loss to Biden can be overturned needs to be heard to be believed pic.twitter.com/jzjzwhcgDl
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 3, 2021
Trump pressed Germany on whether “they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts.”
He replied, “No.”
Raffensperger defended the way the state held the election and said they did have an “accurate” election.
“I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state,” Trump continued.
He asked Raffesnperger what they are going to do.
“We won the election and it’s not fair to take it away from us like this and it’s going to be very costly in many ways and I think you have to say that you’re going to reexamine it,” Trump went on.
Raffesnperger explained Georgia has to “stand by” their numbers and reassured the president the numbers are “right.”
Trump reminded him Georgia’s runoff elections are right around the corner and voter turnout will be low because of what he has “done to the president.”
He told Raffesnperger, “You would be respected, really respected if this thing could be straightened out before the election.”