Georgia Secretary of State Says Trump Threw Him “Under the Bus” for Defending The State’s Election

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger voted for President Donald Trump and says the president threw him and his family “under the bus” when he worked to defend the election amid the president’s false claims that the 2020 general election was fraudulent.

By all accounts, Georgia had a wildly successful and smooth election. We finally defeated voting lines and put behind us Fulton County’s now notorious reputation for disastrous elections,” Raffensperger wrote in a USA Today op-ed. “This should be something for Georgians to celebrate, whether their favored presidential candidate won or lost. For those wondering, mine lost — my family voted for him, donated to him and are now being thrown under the bus by him.”

“Elections are the bedrock of our democracy. They need to be run fairly and, perhaps more important, impartially. That’s not partisan. That’s just American. Yet some don’t seem to see it that way,” he added.

Raffensperger went on to say that he has fought “repeatedly” to uphold election integrity in his state. Georgia recently certified its election results for President-elect Joe Biden after he and Democrats managed to successfully flip the state for the Democrats for the first time since 1992.

Georgia counties have initiated another recount after the Trump administration filed a request. State law allows candidates to request a recount when the margin is less than 0.5 percent. The recount began as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and must be completed by December 2.

President Trump has repeatedly insisted that the election was rife with fraud, a claim disputed by United States security agencies.  These facts have not stopped him from spreading false information about the election via his Twitter feed, particularly when that information concerns elections he lost in key swing states.

As recently as last week, the president claimed that a recount underway in the state of Georgia at the time––the results of which were confirmed for President-elect Biden on November 19––was “fake.”

“The Georgia recount is a joke and is being done UNDER PROTEST,” the president wrote. “Even though thousands of fraudulent votes have been found, the real number is in matching signatures. Governor must open up the unconstitutional Consent Decree and call in the Legislature!”

Trump’s claim is incorrect. The Associated Press already conducted a fact check that showed “There is nothing in the consent decree that prevents Georgia election clerks from scrutinizing signatures.”

Alan Ryland

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.