Post by the Scribe on Dec 23, 2023 1:55:13 GMT
Donald Trump Pressured Michigan Election Officials Not to Certify the 2020 Election — and It Was Caught on Tape: Report
www.yahoo.com/entertainment/donald-trump-pressured-michigan-election-180409175.html
Virginia Chamlee
Fri, December 22, 2023 at 11:04 AM MST·3 min read
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Trump reportedly spoke by phone to two members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers in Nov. 2020, pressuring them not to sign the election certification
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Donald Trump allegedly personally pressured election officials in Michigan not to certify the 2020 presidential election — and it was caught on tape, according to new reporting by The Detroit News.
The outlet published a story on Thursday with echoes of a similar situation in Fulton County, Ga. — where Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in Jan. 2021 to demand he "find 11,780 votes" to change the electoral outcome in his favor after Joe Biden was determined to have won the state.
In Michigan, Trump reportedly spoke by phone to two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers on Nov. 17, 2020, pressuring them not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Related: The Cases Against Trump: What to Know About the Various Investigations Surrounding the 45th U.S. President
people.com/politics/donald-trump-investigation-updates-2020-election-classified-documents/
The Detroit News reports that in the call, which was recorded and reviewed by the outlet, Trump told the two election officials: "We've got to fight for our country," and "We can't let these people take our country away from us," while telling them they would look "terrible" if they signed the certification, as legally required.
The outlet reports that the phone call also included Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who said on the call, "If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. ... We will get you attorneys."
Trump, the outlet reports, added: "We'll take care of that."
The two canvassers — Monica Palmer and William Hartmann — ultimately refused that night to certify the votes cast in Wayne County, which is Michigan's largest. The move made it impossible for the county to officially declare the winner of the election that night. Later, the two relented after increasing pressure.
The recorded call is likely to figure into the federal investigation of Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Related: Georgia's Criminal Case Against Donald Trump Is the 'Most Compelling' One Yet, Ethics Lawyer Says
people.com/fulton-county-case-against-donald-trump-most-compelling-yet-7571601
In August, Trump was indicted on four criminal counts by a federal grand jury and, per the indictment, charged with one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
The indictment alleges that Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election, "was determined to remain in power." The indictment also lists several unnamed co-conspirators, including four attorneys, a Justice Department official, and a political consultant who "helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification" of votes.
"So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won," it reads.
Also in August, Trump was indicted in Georgia, where he was charged with 13 felony counts: racketeering (violation of the Georgia RICO Act); three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer; conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; two counts conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit filing false documents; filing false documents; and two counts of false statements and writings.
The Georgia investigation also hinges on Trump and his allies' behavior following his loss of the popular vote in the state, and on the call he made to Raffensperger to demand he "find 11,780 votes" to change the outcome.
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The twice-impeached former president has been indicted four times over the past year — the first one making him the only U.S. president to face criminal charges, and the next two further distinguishing him as the only president to face federal charges.
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