Georgia opens investigation into Trump effort to overturn election results

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...lection-result



He can hide but he can't run .....

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has sent a letter asking Geprgia state officials to preserve documents including those relating to the phone call and saying that a criminal investigation was being carried out.

Ms Willis said in the letter, addressed to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, that the investigation included:

• potential violations of state law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud
• the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies
• conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office
• any involvement in violence or threats related to the election's administration

What happened during the Trump call?

In excerpts of the 2 January phone call, Mr Trump can be heard alternately cajoling and pressurising Georgia's secretary of state.

He insisted that he had won the election in Georgia and told Mr Raffensperger that there was "nothing wrong with saying you have recalculated".

Mr Raffensperger responded by saying: "The challenge you have, Mr President, is that the data you have is wrong."

Later in the call, Mr Trump said the rumour was that ballots had been shredded and voting machinery had been removed from Fulton County in the state - claims denied by Mr Raffensperger's lawyer.

The president then threatened the official with possible legal consequences.

"You know what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal offence. You can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer," Mr Trump said.

He then called for the extra 11,780 votes - which would have given him a total of 2,473,634 votes in the state, one more than Mr Biden, who received 2,473,633 votes.

The president told Mr Raffensperger he should re-examine the result in the state.

Criminal probe into Trump's 'find the votes' call

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56015742



This is separate from Mr Raffensperger's own investigation into the phone call opened by his office on Monday.



Blatant interference and intimidation by Trump .....

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider former President Donald Trump’s challenge to the presidential election results in Wisconsin, rejecting the last remaining appeal that sought to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.

The rebuff came without comment or published dissent. It follows the court’s Feb. 22 rejection of a group of appeals that sought to reverse Biden’s win in Wisconsin and four other states.

The latest appeal contended that the Wisconsin Elections Commission violated the U.S. Constitution by setting up mail-in voting rules that ignored state law. A federal appeals court panel consisting of three Republican appointees unanimously rejected the challenge, with Trump-appointed Judge Michael Scudder writing the opinion.

The high court separately turned away an appeal by Lin Wood, a pro-Trump attorney who sought to block the Jan. 5 Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections, eventually won by two Democrats.

The cases are Trump v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, 20-883, and In Re Lin Wood, 20-887.

Trump Rejected by Supreme Court in Final Election Challenge

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d&cmpId=google



The loser lost again .....

• Donald Trump hid them in a room used for storage
• Bush and Clinton portraits were visible in the entrance hallway of the executive mansion in a video the White House posted to its social media accounts
• It's a tradition to place portraits of the most recent presidents in the most public areas of the White House where visitors can see them

White House returns portraits of Bill Clinton and George W Bush to prominent place in foyer after Trump hid them in room used for storage

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-hid-them.html



A minor regression but a slap-down for Trump's self-importance .....