Georgia Election Interference: Raffensperger Call, Pressure to Find 11,780 Votes
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The January 2, 2021 call lasted approximately one hour. Trump told Raffensperger he had won Georgia by 'hundreds of thousands of votes,' cited debunked fraud claims involving suitcases of ballots, a water main break, and Dominion Voting Systems, and asked Raffensperger to recalculate — or simply declare — a Trump victory. Raffensperger told Trump his information was wrong. Trump's lawyers and chief of staff were also on the call. Raffensperger's attorney Ryan Germany debunked specific claims in real time during the call. The recorded call was the most explicit documented example of Trump personally pressuring a state election official to alter certified results. The Fulton County indictment in August 2023 charged Trump under Georgia's RICO statute.
Overview
Trump called Georgia's Secretary of State and asked him to find votes. The number he specified — 11,780 — was exactly one more than Biden's certified margin of victory. The call was recorded. The transcript is public. The Georgia RICO indictment covers this call and the broader scheme.
The Call
The call lasted about an hour. Trump started with the claim that he had won Georgia by hundreds of thousands of votes. He cited a list of fraud allegations. Raffensperger's attorney debunked each one in real time on the call.
At the end of the debunking, Trump asked Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes. The specificity of the number — one more than the certified margin — made the request explicit. Trump was not asking for an investigation. He was asking for a specific numerical outcome.
He said it was probably there somewhere. He told Raffensperger he was taking a big risk. He said Raffensperger was not a fighter.
The Debunked Claims
The fraud claims Trump cited on the call had already been rejected by courts, by Raffensperger's own investigators, and by federal officials including Trump's own Attorney General. Trump cited suitcases of ballots pulled from under tables — video of poll workers moving official ballot containers under a table, which had been reviewed and explained. He cited a water main break — a urinal overflow that had not affected counting. He cited Dominion Voting Systems switching votes — a claim rejected by hand audit and machine audit.
Raffensperger's attorney walked through each one. None was accurate.
The Indictment
On August 14, 2023, a Fulton County grand jury returned a 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 co-defendants. The charges included Georgia's RICO statute, which prosecutors used to capture the entire scheme: the fake electors, the pressure on Georgia officials, the attempts to persuade Vice President Pence not to certify, and the Raffensperger call.
Three of the 18 co-defendants — lawyers Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Kenneth Chesebro — pleaded guilty within weeks of the indictment and agreed to cooperate.
Timeline
Sequence of events
November 5, 2020
Georgia certifies Biden victory — Trump begins pressure campaign
Georgia certifies Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Trump loses recount and hand audit challenges. He begins a sustained campaign to pressure Georgia officials, including Governor Kemp, Secretary of State Raffensperger, and state legislators, to alter or reject the certified results.
January 2, 2021
Trump calls Raffensperger — asks him to find 11,780 votes
Trump calls Raffensperger for approximately one hour. He asks Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, cites debunked fraud claims, and implies Raffensperger faces risk by not complying. The call is recorded by Raffensperger's office.
January 3, 2021
Washington Post reports the call — audio and transcript published
The Washington Post publishes an audio recording and transcript of the January 2 call. The call receives national and international attention. Multiple members of Congress call for investigations. Federal and state law enforcement begin reviewing whether laws were violated.
August 14, 2023
Fulton County grand jury returns 41-count indictment
A Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicts Trump and 18 co-defendants on 41 criminal counts. The indictment charges violations of Georgia's RICO statute, solicitation of election fraud, conspiracy, and false statements. It covers the Raffensperger call and the broader fake electors scheme.
October 1, 2023
Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro plead guilty — agree to cooperate
Three attorneys central to the fake electors scheme plead guilty to reduced charges and agree to cooperate with the prosecution. Their cooperation provides testimony about the planning and coordination of the broader effort to overturn Georgia's certified election results.
Sources
- ↑ Trump pressured Georgia secretary of state to 'find' votes — audio and transcript — The Washington Post
- ↑ Transcript of Trump's Call With Georgia Secretary of State — The New York Times
- ↑ Trump indicted in Georgia election interference case — The Associated Press
- ↑ Fulton County Indictment — State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump et al. — Fulton County District Attorney
Verification