President Donald Trump is heard on tape pleading with Georgia’s election chief to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state, suggesting in a telephone call that the official “find” enough votes to hand Trump the victory.
The conversation was the latest step in an unprecedented effort by a sitting American president to reverse the outcome of a free and fair election that he lost.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of a recording of Trump’s conversation with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Trump tells Raffensperger at one point that he wants him to “find” 11,780 votes for Trump.
Georgia previously certified that Democratic President-elect Biden won the state by 11,779 votes.
ABC Action News spoke with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, an election law professor at Stetson University, who said the recorded phone call could have political and even historic legal consequences.
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“Now that we have this tape, it does seem to be either a form of interfering in the election and/or extortion. Both of which are federal crimes and a crime under Georgia state law," Torres-Spelliscy said.
