Trump’s phone call with Georgia Secretary of State revealed

A recording has been revealed of U.S. President Donald Trump pressuring the Secretary of State of Georgia to overturn the election results in the state. The scandal is stirring Washington as this marks the first case of capturing the illegal act of the president pressuring a municipal government in his own voice. The latest event will likely affect the results of the final vote on the two Senate seats in Georgia, which is scheduled on Tuesday.

According to a file secured by The Washington Post on Saturday, President Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for 62 minutes and pleaded with him to “find 11,780 votes” to secure a win for his presidential race. A traditionally conservative stronghold, Georgia saw Joe Biden winning the presidential election in November by a slight margin of 0.25 percentage points or 11,779 votes.

In fact, this result was already finalized after a recount by hand was conducted as demanded by Trump. Notwithstanding the confirmation, Trump demanded the state government overturn the election results by finding a winning 11,780 votes.

Experts say that the turnout of early voters typically dominated by Democratic supporters and the cohesion of African American voters will decide the result of the vote just like the presidential election. In the early vote from Dec. 14 to Jan. 1, more than 3 million out of 7 million registered voters took part in casting the ballot. This is the biggest turnout in the history of Georgia’s runoff elections.


lightee@donga.com