Georgia asks Trump to 'stop inspiring violence' over election results

On Tuesday December 1, a senior Georgia secretary of state's office urged President Donald Trump to condemn and “stop inspiring” the recent threats of violence as the state finalizes its second presidential recount. Writes about it USA Today.

Photo: Shutterstock

“This has gone too far,” said Georgia Voting Implementation Manager Gabriel Sterling, his voice rising. - All this."

Visibly disgruntled, Sterling spent several minutes at the afternoon press conference talking about the threats targeting electoral officials and state employees. He said that a 20-year-old technician from Gwinnett County received death threats and an image of him with a noose around his neck was circulated on the Internet saying that he should be "hanged for treason."

“This has to stop. Mr. President, you did not condemn these actions or these words,” Sterling said. — Senators, you did not condemn these words or actions. This must stop. We need you to act. And if you're going to be a leader, show it."

These remarks marked perhaps the harshest rebuke from a local electoral commissioner against Trump for making unsubstantiated allegations of vote rigging.

On the subject: Election Commission employee in Georgia hounded because of video on the network: he is forced to hide

The senators Sterling refers to are Georgia's two Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are in the Jan. 5 runoff elections that could determine control of the Senate.

As Trump refuses to admit his election defeat to Joe Biden, he has repeatedly criticized Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp after an initial state-ordered recount confirmed Biden won the state with 12 votes. After Biden's victory in Georgia was confirmed, Trump's campaign team demanded a recount, which is expected to be completed by the end of Wednesday, December 284.

Sterling, a former city councilman and former Republican consultant, said people entered Raffensperger's personal property and drove vans under the secretary of state's home. He said Raffensperger's wife received "sexual threats" via cell phone. According to him, Sterling's own house is guarded by the police.

Sterling cited comments from Trump's attorney Joe Di Genova, who said on Monday November 30 that former Cyber ​​and Infrastructure Security Agency director Chris Krebs should be "shot." Sterling called Krebs a "patriot."

“This is an election. This is the basis of democracy. And all of you who didn’t say a damn thing are complicit in this,” Sterling said. - It too. Yes, fight for every legal vote. Follow proper procedures. We encourage you. Use your First Amendment. This is fine. But death threats, physical threats, innuendos are too much.”

Sterling said the election worker, whom he did not name, is a contractor for the voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems, which has regularly been the target of false claims by Trump and his allies. He said the worker was captured on video transmitting a report from a computer that allegedly looked like he was "manipulating election data."

“He was just trying to do his job,” Sterling said, adding that the employee’s family members also received threats. “His family is now being persecuted. There's a noose with his name on it."

Trump responded to Sterling's remarks in a new tweet about "election fraud." Trump has not denounced the threats of violence.

“Falsified elections. Show signatures and envelopes. Expose massive voter fraud in Georgia. What the Secretary of State and Brian Kemp are afraid of. They know we will find it!”

A Perdue spokeswoman said the senator “condemns violence of any kind against anyone. Dot". But she added: “We will not apologize for addressing obvious problems with the way our state conducts its elections.”

Most of Sterling's comments were directed specifically at Trump.

"Mr. President, it looks like you may have lost the state of Georgia," he said, acknowledging that Trump has the right to appeal to the court system.

“You have no way - and you need to acknowledge this - to stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone will get hurt. Someone will be shot. Someone will be killed,” he added.

Still addressing Trump, Sterling said "you're not being given the best advice about what's actually happening on the ground."

“It's time to look forward. If you want to run for re-election in four years, do it. But everything we see now is not the way. Be a bigger person. Speak up. Tell supporters not to be violent, not to intimidate. It is not right. It’s un-American,” Sterling said.

At a press conference the next morning, Raffensperger expressed his support for Sterling.

“He said it with passion, and he spoke the truth, and it’s time for more people to start telling the truth,” Raffensperger said.

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He pointed to Trump's latest tweet, calling his rhetoric "the very language that underlies the growing threat to election workers simply doing their jobs."

Sterling said the threats directed at the 20-year-old election worker were "the straw that broke the camel's back."

“I can't explain how angry I am about this. And every American, every Georgian, Republican and Democrat alike, should have that same level of anger,” he added.

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