January 6th Committee Investigates Impacts of False Election Fraud Claims in Georgia
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After losing the Georgia presidential election, Donald Trump pressured leading state officials to “find” the necessary votes to reverse the outcome and declare him victorious through multiple phone calls.
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When Georgia officials refused to break their oath, Donald Trump switched to setting up a panel of “fake electors” to go against the will of their state by voting for Trump in the electoral college.
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The January 6th Committee is investigating these actions and hearing the testimony of many local leaders to clarify what happened in Georgia between November 2020 and January 6th, 2021.
The January 6 Committee is investigating former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election by changing the outcome of the election in Georgia, where he narrowly lost to Biden by about 11,779 votes.
After the election results came out in November 2020, Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the 11,780 votes needed to beat Biden in Georgia.
After three hand-counted audits confirmed the election tally was accurate and that the 11,780 votes would not be found, Donald Trump switched tactics. Leading up to January 6, 2021, the day that the Congress was set to certify the election results, Trump falsely claimed Vice President Mike Pence had the power to refuse the accept electors that voted for Biden.
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Additionally, the Trump campaign asked legislators in Georgia and other states to illegally submit “fake electors” to vote for Trump.
Though Raffensperger refused, other Republicans complied, spreading Trump’s false election fraud allegations and filing lawsuits to appoint alternative electors.
Former Georgia state senator William Ligon traveled to Washington around January 6 to assist in convincing members of Congress to reject Georgia’s official presidential electors. David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, along with other GOP officials, filed lawsuits and helped organize fake electors. U.S. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jody Hice from Georgia were also found to have participated in the attempted fake electors scheme.
The January 6 Committee recently released footage tied to a tour that Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk gave on January 5, 2021, the day before the attack on the Capitol. The video shows a man taking photos of hallways in the Capitol complex, prior to attending the riot the next day. The committee has subpoenaed Loudermilk, but he is yet to comply.
The former president also attempted to recruit the Justice Department to help in his efforts, but senior officials in the department refused. Trump demanded they expel BJay Pak, who resigned on January 4, 2021.
In light of the events in Georgia, leading Georgian officials and public servants have testified before the January 6th Committee.
Witnesses from Georgia Testify to January 6 Committee
Many witnesses from Georgia have testified to the committee over the course of the hearings, and more are expected to.
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U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, an Atlanta native, testified to the committee during its first public hearing on June 9, detailing her experience on January 6 during the Capitol attack.
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BJay Pak, former U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia, testified to the committee on June 13 about how he was directed to investigate false election fraud claims made by President Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
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Former Georgia election worker Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, testified on June 21 about their experience being the target of Trump and Giuliani’s false claims of election fraud and the subsequent threats they received.​
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​Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman were targeted by President Trump, by name, during rallies where he played video clips of them doing their job. Trump and his allies spread conspiracy theories, accusing them of counting fake ballots. Trump supporters even attempted to execute a “citizen's arrest” of Ms. Moss’s grandmother.
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger testified on June 21. In a January 2021 phone call between former President Trump and Raffensperger, Trump pressured Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” so he could falsely overturn the election. This phone call was shared alongside Raffensperger’s testimony, in which he detailed how he stood up to Trump’s wish that he commit election fraud.
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Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer in the office of the Georgia Secretary of State, testified alongside Raffensperger on June 21. Together, they fact checked false claims of election fraud in Georgia.
Donald Trump’s election fraud claims in Georgia are expected to continue to be a focal point of the January 6 Committee’s investigation. For future hearings, check the full schedule here.