Georgia legislator seeks investigation into Raffensperger over 2020 election 'failures'

A Georgia state legislator considering a bid for statewide office urged an investigation into Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to testify over the "numerous and documented failures" related to the 2020 election.

State Sen. Burt Jones, a Republican on the Senate Government Oversight Committee, sent a letter on Thursday to committee Chairman Sen. Marty Harbin to call Raffensperger to testify about the contest President Joe Biden won by roughly 12,000 votes, a tally affirmed in multiple recounts and certified by the state.

Despite the recounts, former President Donald Trump and his allies insist there was widespread election fraud.

NEARLY 200 ABSENTEE BALLOTS INITIALLY COUNTED TWICE IN GEORGIA'S FULTON COUNTY

Jones's letter, obtained by the Washington Examiner, lays out a series of allegations of election fraud ranging from reports that more than 10,000 votes were illegally cast, a claim from an independent voter data analyst, to reports that nearly 200 absentee ballots were scanned twice.

"Trusted, transparent, and secure elections are the bedrock of our democracy. As the head of our elections in Georgia, the buck stops with the Secretary of State, and our citizens deserve answers to these questions and to have their faith in our electoral process restored," he wrote. "I am confident that a thorough investigation of Secretary Raffensperger's actions will provide the accountability and clarity surrounding the 2020 election that the citizens of this great state deserve."

The Peach State's secretary of state demanded firing two high-profile election officials in Fulton County following the news that fewer than 200 ballots were scanned twice. There is no indication the double-counted ballots influenced the final total votes, and Raffensperger's office said the new information does not change his views about the legitimacy of the election results, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“There are multiple lawsuits over this topic. This will be decided by the courts, not power grasping political candidates," Jordan Fuchs, Raffensperger's deputy, told the Washington Examiner.

A report written by an independent election observer monitoring the November election in Fulton, which includes much of Atlanta, found the county's election was sloppily handled but did not uncover any fraud. Raffensperger opened an investigation last month into the handling of paperwork in Fulton County related to the use of drop boxes for the 2020 election.

Raffensperger made headlines after it was revealed Trump tried pressuring him to “find” the number of votes sufficient to eclipse the margin of President Joe Biden's victory. That call is now under scrutiny as part of a criminal investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 election in Fulton County.

Georgia's top executive officials — including Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and Raffensperger — all defended the state's election outcome, despite pressure from the former president and much of their own party. Other Republican figures in the state, including Jones, have turned their ire on them for refusing to go along with the former president's claims of a stolen election.

Trump has promised to campaign against Kemp and Raffensperger, while Duncan has said he doesn't plan on seeking reelection.

Jones is expected to enter the race for lieutenant governor in the next few weeks, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

A day before he sent the letter to the committee chairman, Trump released a tweemail saying he will not be "supporting or endorsing" state Sen. Butch Miller, who has already announced his candidacy in the lieutenant governor race. The former president said he decided this "because of [Miller's] refusal to work with other Republican Senators on voter fraud and irregularities in the State. Hopefully there will be strong and effective primary challengers for the very important Lieutenant Governor position!"

The former president has already endorsed Rep. Jody Hice, a Georgia representative in the House, who has announced his challenge to Raffensperger.

Trump has not yet endorsed a gubernatorial candidate, although he has said he'll campaign against Kemp. One possible endorsement, candidate Vernon Jones, has repeatedly amplified allegations of election wrongdoing and called for additional audits.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Georgia, Georgia Senate, 2020 Elections, Donald Trump, 2022 Elections, Joe Biden

Original Author: Mike Brest

Original Location: Georgia legislator seeks investigation into Raffensperger over 2020 election 'failures'