One of the most infuriating qualities about former president Donald J. Trump is his habit of lying about everything all the time. Another is his total disregard for human life. But probably the number one most enraging thing about him is his lifelong habit of escaping any and all consequences for being what the U.S. penal code section 219(a)(5)(a) defines as “a corrupt motherfucker.” Whether it was attempting to extort Ukraine, lying to the public about COVID-19, reportedly not paying his bills, or allegedly raping a woman in a department store—which he of course denies—the man has somehow consistently avoided any and all repercussions, save for a financial settlement here and a financial settlement there. On the other hand, his luck on that front may be running out!
In addition to facing dozens of lawsuits, the 45th president is also the subject of three separate criminal investigations, one of which seemingly got a boost this week. That probe is the one being conducted by Fulton County, Georgia, regarding the infamous phone call Trump made to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, in which the then president pressured Raffensperger to “find” him the votes to win the state in the 2020 election. Presumably, prosecutors are extremely interested in a new book out today by Raffensperger, Integrity Counts, in which he says in no uncertain terms that Trump threatened him while demanding he magically come up with 11,780 votes necessary to beat Joe Biden.
Conversation w/ Brad Raffensperger:
One section of the book the district attorney’s office may be paying close attention to recounts the January 2, 2021, phone call between the president, Raffensperger, Raffensperger’s general counsel, Ryan Germany, and assorted other parties. According to a copy of Raffensperger’s book obtained by the Hive.
And later:
In September the Brookings Institution, a D.C. think tank, released a 109-page report that analyzed publicly available evidence concerning Trumps and his allies’ efforts to pressure Georgia officials to “change the lawful outcome of the election.” They concluded that the ex-president could be charged with multiple crimes, including “criminal solicitation to commit election fraud; intentional interference with performance of election duties; conspiracy to commit election fraud; criminal solicitation; and state RICO violations,” in addition to violations of more than a dozen other Georgia state statutes. “We conclude that Trump’s post-election conduct in Georgia leaves him at substantial risk of possible state charges predicated on multiple crimes,” the report stated. Obviously, one of the least-helpful things Trump has going for him, from an evidence standpoint, is his phone call to Raffensperger.
Last month, Raffensperger told NBC News he would “gladly participate” in an interview with the Fulton County district attorney about Trump pressuring election officials over the 2020 results. “I did my job. I followed the law,” he said. As for Trump, he is currently hard at work preemptively claiming that the Virginia gubernatorial election, which is taking place right now, was rife with fraud.
No comments:
Post a Comment