Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stated that President Donald Trump should give up and “leave quietly” from the White House. The secretary of state made these comments in an interview with Atlanta Journal-Constitution published Saturday.
“When you lose an election, you should leave quietly. It’s the will of the people that has been expressed,” stated Raffensperger.
Unlike Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, the secretary of state has been vocal against his critics on social media and through the mainstream media. Earlier this week, Raffensperger published an op-ed with USA Today complaining that he and his family “are now being thrown under the bus” by Trump.
“In the days that followed, a losing presidential campaign refused to accept the facts, following a playbook written by a failed gubernatorial candidate [Stacey Abrams] two years before. A failed senate candidate [Doug Collins] with nothing to do tried to undermine the integrity of Georgia’s elections,” the op-ed says. “A self-described ‘attorney for the damned’ [Lin Wood] took up the cause. An onslaught of fake news and unrepentant disinformation threatened to tear the fabric of our country apart. People on both sides of the aisle generated controversies out of nowhere to stir up trouble.”
Since the initial audit, Trump and other Republicans have called for a review of the absentee ballot signatures. However, Raffensperger hasn’t allowed for one. In response, the president dubbed Raffensperger a “RINO,” or “Republican In Name Only” – a term reserved for individuals accused of holding values and objectives contrary to the standard Republican ideals.
“Georgia Secretary of State, a so-called Republican (RINO), won’t let the people checking the ballots see the signatures for fraud. Why? Without this the whole process is unfair and close to meaningless. Everyone knows that we won the state,” Trump tweeted. “Where is @BrianKempGA?”
Georgia Secretary of State, a so-called Republican (RINO), won’t let the people checking the ballots see the signatures for fraud. Why? Without this the whole process is very unfair and close to meaningless. Everyone knows that we won the state. Where is @BrianKempGA?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2020
The secretary of state asserted in another op-ed that an audit checking absentee ballot signatures would be unnecessary because his administration has improved those voter rolls and verification processes.
“Georgia’s voting system has never been more secure or trustworthy,” wrote Raffensperger.
After the hand recount, Raffensperger certified the election results last Friday – despite the discoveries of thousands of votes improperly tallied or uncounted. The secretary of state’s office dismissed the meaning behind those finds as nothing more than a result of initial “human error.”
Raffensperger hasn’t issued any further explanation as to why he won’t conduct an audit of the absentee ballot signatures.
The Georgia Star News reached out to the secretary of state’s press office about this issue. Raffensperger’s spokespersons didn’t respond with comment by press time.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
