Georgia's secretary of state says fellow Republicans are pressuring him to... exclude legal ballots

[swag]

Source: Washington Post

Georgia’s secretary of state says fellow Republicans are pressuring him to find ways to exclude legal ballots

By
Amy Gardner

By Amy Gardner
November 16, 2020 at 2:22 p.m. PST

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Monday that he has come under increasing pressure in recent days from fellow Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), to question the validity of legally cast absentee ballots in an effort to reverse President Trump’s narrow loss in the state.

In a wide-ranging interview about the 2020 election, Raffensperger expressed exasperation with a string of baseless allegations coming from Trump and his allies about the integrity of the Georgia results, including claims that Dominion Voting Systems, the Colorado-based manufacturer of Georgia’s voting machines, is a “leftist” company with ties to Venezuela that engineered thousands of Trump votes not to be counted.

The atmosphere has grown so contentious, Raffensperger said, that both he and his wife, Tricia, have received death threats in recent days, including a text to him that read, “You better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it.”

“Other than getting you angry, it’s also very disillusioning,” Raffensperger said of the threats, “particularly when it comes from people on my side of the aisle. Everyone that is working on this needs to elevate their speech. We need to be thoughtful and careful about what we say.” He said he reported the threats to state authorities.

The pressure on Raffensperger, who has bucked his party in defending the state’s voting process, comes as Georgia is in the midst of a laborious hand recount of roughly 5 million ballots. President-elect Joe Biden has a 14,000-vote lead in the initial count.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/brad-raffensperger-georgia-vote/2020/11/16/6b6cb2f4-283e-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html

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Hi, LBN moderator. Had to snip the headline in order to convey proper meaning in the subject line.

[Laelth]

1. A principled Republican!

Whadda ya know? There are a few left.



-Laelth

[LisaL]

5. They do exist.

Who knew.

[Major Nikon]

48. Hard to pick them out among all the ratfuckers

[Leghorn21]

10. I know, this just messes my head UP!

In a good way, a very good way!!

Meanwhile, he’s getting DEATH THREATS

Oh and fuck off Lindsay, you sniveling little nosy scumbucket

[niyad]

19. Except for the "both sides" need to elevate their thoughts bs. The Dems are not issuing death

threats, sir. Other than that, he does indeed appear to have some principals.

[AleksS]

28. I saw that. He just had to sneak that in there.

Sure, republicans are sending me and my wife death threats, but really both sides are the real problem.

No sir. The side making the death threats is the problem. Period. End. Stop.

[Rebl2]

27. Yes they

do exist. More like republicans from many, many years ago. This type of republican should be applauded. I may not agree with their political views, but I appreciate them standing up and doing the right thing.

[jaxexpat]

34. He's got the whole world looking over his shoulder. Transparency is the easy route for him.

Modern republicans are not principled until they aren't republicans.

[cstanleytech]

45. "A principled Republican!" You wont find any in the House or Senate as they sold their souls.

[Politicub]

46. He isn't, really. He just seems that way by way of contrast.

I hope this is a harbinger to a fissure in the GOP.

[dware]

2. Couldn't this be constituted as inference in the election process? nt

[burrowowl]

24. Good point!

Felony on the Federal level, some Repukes should go to jail.

[Blue Owl]

3. Have I mentioned how much I hate the GOP?

[Progressive Jones]

17. I hate 'em more than you. I wish awful, unspeakable things upon that party. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

4. This should not go unanswered!

If we can get proof this happened, especially with Lindsey Graham, we should start proceedings to remove him!

[dware]

7. If true, and I have no doubt it is,

then couldn't this be a case of election interference?

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Of course it is.

And it makes me wonder if there was funny business in Lindsey's election.

[SomedayKindaLove]

6. I'm sorry a sitting Senator did what?

Tried to interfere and influence the audit of a federal election?

Maybe we should raise 8M and do a state audit of the SC Senate race.

[Iliyah]

8. mcturtle probably knows . .. ..

it's all about the senate race.

[Ohioboy]

11. He needs to call that voter fraud hotline and report these republicans

[rickyhall]

12. Give it up, Lindsey, it's done, just GIVE IT UP!

[ashredux]

13. I suspect the "pressure " will yield the opposite of what they want...he will stand firm

[groundloop]

14. He has no choice, it's his reputation on the line.

From a political standpoint he can't have any large discrepancies in the vote count which would indicate incompetence. tRump, Moscow Mitch, and Miss Lindsey don't give a hell who they throw under the bus, but some people need to keep their reputations intact.

[hotdamn00]

18. He actually called out Lindsay

for pressuring him to toss perfectly good ballots.

[warmfeet]

16. I think he should accede to their requests.

I hope it is very blatant in its partisanship. The courts, and the voters, will parse this all out.

We will win.

[live love laugh]

53. Rod Blagojevich served 7 years for less. nt

[IsItJustMe]

20. A few of them that may have a back bone and a few morals left.

But keep in mind, a very very few.

[IsItJustMe]

21. Seems to that this is federal election interference. Has to be laws against this.

Team Biden needs to get their lawyers on this. Leave no stone unturned.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. Here is the "Um duh!" moment

“Other than getting you angry, it’s also very disillusioning,” Raffensperger said of the threats, “particularly when it comes from people on my side of the aisle. Everyone that is working on this needs to elevate their speech. We need to be thoughtful and careful about what we say.” He said he reported the threats to state authorities.

His "side of the aisle" calls complaints about their nonsensical rhetoric "demanding they be 'politically correct'" and then they will tell him to "grow a thicker skin".

His party has been "talking" extremist like this, loudly and in earnest, since at least 2010 with the rise of the teabaggers and "teh crazies". And the average Republican sat back and let them do it and any that finally had enough of the childishness and tried to call them out on it, found out that it was too late, and the loons went about primarying them, installing even crazier ones.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. If it weren't for those legal ballots Trump would get a second term.

[Zambero]

25. Get Rudy on this right way!!

Any sketchy landscaping outfits in Atlanta for the presser?

[ananda]

26. Definitely a profile in courage!

Link to tweet

[benfranklin1776]

29. He or Stacy Abrams should ask immediately for an FBI investigation.

As this is a federal offense. Once open the Biden Justice Department can seek an indictment and prosecute the case. Treasonous bastards! 🤬🤬

[Cha]

30. Wow & he says that Out loud!

[Kid Berwyn]

31. Co-Conspirator Lyndsey Graham.

One of too many.

[halfulglas]

32. Maybe we should take a look at the South Carolina ballots.

The way Lindsey Graham felt entitled to question if the Georgia SOS couldn't do this for the party, maybe we should see whether Lindsey has been benefiting from this questioning of the legal mail in ballots his state might have done this favor for him.

[gldstwmn]

33. Why is a Senator from South Carolina inserting himself

In a Georgia ballot audit?

[truthisfreedom]

35. If miss lindsey can not deliver Georgia to 45

45 will spill the kompromat.

[JohnnyRingo]

36. Calling for civility in the republican party...

...is like teaching my dog to drive a car. All he knows is how to chase one.

[MustLoveBeagles]

40. +1

[Lou Is]

37. THIS, RIGHT HERE,

is grounds for 1) Georgia being awarded to Biden by default, and 2) Lindsey Graham's expulsion from the Senate.

[William769]

38. He's such an asshat.

He should be in a cell right beside trump.

[iluvtennis]

39. Hope police/FBI have tapped the phones of Raffensperger - it's a criminal offense to threaten an

elected official.

Also am very happy the Raffensperger is reporting this - he's been all over CNN today.

Rethugs are nothing but a gang of cheating thugs.

[SPDem]

41. I feel like we need a way to track

which Republicans have fully crossed to the dark side and which may be redeemable. On a national level. Or maybe I just love lists.

But honestly we could cross link their transgressions or, more rarely, proof that they still have souls. This guy is on the nice list.

[SPDem]

43. And by nice

I just mean he isnt a rabid trumpo cultist.

[MustLoveBeagles]

42. K&R

[BobTheSubgenius]

44. This is beyond exasperating.

It's disheartening. American "leaders" are really setting a hell of an example, aren't they? If you don't like the result, demand a do-over and cheat. FML

[Lock him up.]

47. And them up.

January 21 can't come soon enough! Fill up prisons with Repuke$.

[Jarqui]

49. The GOP are still trying to find a way to steal it.

It's going to be tough to heal the country.
I will never get over behavior like this.
Never.

[GulfCoast66]

50. It's obvious to me why Graham has gone so bat-shit crazy.

He is not stupid. He knows that when trump loses, the vindictive SOB will release what he has on Graham. Because if trump is going down so is everyone else he can manage.

I don’t know what it is, but it can’t be minor.

[riversedge]

51. The threats against his family is so sickening.

[live love laugh]

52. The Senate is at stake more so than Trump. It's not just about Trump. nt