Eye on Georgia: Trump’s Election Interference

You're listening to Comedy Central YEW Donald Joe Biden beat my ass. Trump.

None of his legal efforts to undo the election have been working, so now he's trying a different approach. You might remember that yesterday two Republican election officials in Michigan tried to throw out votes from the entire city of Detroit and then they had to be shamed into backing down. Well, it turns out that wasn't the end of the story.

Breaking over an i T Republican election officials in Michigan have changed their minds again. First they refused to certify the election results in Wayne County, then they agreed to certify them, but now they're trying to rescind that decision despite a lack of evidence.

And we are now learning that President Donald Trump actually called both of them following that controversial meeting.

Trump's campaign has long been pressuring Georgia Republican Secretary State Brad Raffensberger. Anytime that Trump targets a person publicly, they get death threats and they have to get security. Raffensberger and his wife have received death threats in recent days, including a text to him that read, you better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it. Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Katie obs So, she too has faced

Quote, we are watching you.

That's right, people, Donald Trump, president of the United States, is working to overturn the election. And people, can we agree this is not normal seeing Donald Trump work. I mean, that's not normal, but it's happening. Trump is personally listen to this. Trump is personally calling election officials and targeting them in public, hoping to pressure them into overturning the election.

Results, which I don't care who you are.

Is deeply disturbing because before now he was at least pursuing his claims through the courts.

Ye fun, but it was legal, you know.

It's the difference between camping on a spawn point and call of duty and smashing the control on your brother's head.

One is bad sportsmanship, the other is assault.

And the president's supporters aren't even sending anonymous death threats, which makes sense in a way because Trump himself wouldn't be able to threaten anyone anonymously.

You know, he'd blow his cover right away.

If you don't overturn the results, you're gonna be in big trouble.

Tremendous trouble. People tell me all the time. Wow, what tremendous trouble he's in, mister President. I know that's you. No, it's not. It's not me, it's Binald.

But this shows you that there's no winning when it comes to Donald Trump. If he doesn't like you, you get death threats. If he does like you, well, then he gives you COVID. And while the President's team is still fighting the election in court, it's become clear that even that strategy isn't really just about pursuing legal options.

The Washington Posts by cost the reports that Giuliani's team knows the President can't win and instead are trying to make sure the vote is not certified. Quote their endgame to try to force it to the House.

There's a legal game that they're playing. If they can tie this up in court, if they can create enough doubt, then they are hoping that the States just won't certify the election. And if the States don't certify these elections, it goes to the House of Representatives, where Donald Trump has a very good chance of being named president of the United States. So there's a legal trick that they're

Just to be clear, Trump's lawyers are now reportedly telling people that they don't need to win in court, they just need to create a situation that is so messy Republican legislatures will step in and overturn people's votes. And again, forgive me here, but it's so astounding to me that America's laws can even allow this kind of thing to happen. I mean, there's all these safeguards, double checks, protections for

We're just gonna pick our guy instead. That is wild.

It's like if you set up two factor authentication for all your accounts, but then you give your phones to Vladimir Putin for safe keeping.

Yeah, don't worry, and make sure that you don't have too many porn hubber.

Count And look, it's extremely unlikely that any of this will work. Although a lot of extremely unlikely things have happened recently. I mean, if you had told me two years ago that the next Wonder Woman movie would be going straight to HBO Max, I would have said, what's HBO Max? Actually, I'm still saying that what is HBO Max like? Is that the same as HBO go? Or is that HBO now? Or is it like both of them?

Like? Do I have it? Am I on it?

But on the other hand, what might save America from Donald Trump tru trying to overthrow the government is that it's Donald Trump trying to overthrow the governments. Off the two years of votes, of fraud, accusations, and capital riots, it is no surprise that Americans have become less confidence in their elections. But as Desilidik discovers in her new series, America's election infrastructure maybe in even worse shape than you think.

Hello again, I'm Desi Lidik. When I first started this series on our election infrastructure, I was just hoping to boost my brand enough to ditch this job and get on sixty minutes. But over the last two installments, I've learned that our country is on the terrifying brink of election catastrophe and that sixty minutes is looking for more of a Hoda Cotby type. I mean, what the hell, I can go Brenette if that's what it takes. I

Who cares? Just roll it.

Well, America. We did it, election accomplished. Despite a mirraaud of election problems, including a paper shortage and a lack of poll workers, we successfully pulled off an election thanks to my reporting. So I'm back with Tammy a Democracy Fund Tammy. Break time's over. We gotta talk to debrief and collect my well earned thank yous thanks to your work and also my reporting. Things are great, right.

It did go mostly really well. We had a couple of hiccups around the country, but in general it did go fairly well. So we should take a moment and celebrate that.

Tammy, I would love to bask with you. Let's bask. God, it feels good to bask.

It's great to bask in the glory of competence and a well executed election. But we do still have challenges moving forward.

Damn it, dammy.

Since the twenty twenty election, election officials have been under attack. We know from a recent survey that one in four of election officials in this country have experienced threats of harassment and abuse. So they're going to be leaving the field unfortunately in large numbers.

How many people are getting harassed? Are we talking like a handful or like a shit ton?

Unfortunately? I think it's closer to the shit ton.

You heard Tammy's filthy mouth a shit ton in These threats from disgruntled election deniers range from local officials to secretaries of state.

And Arizona elections official was moved to an undisclosed location because of threats to his life.

In Milwaukee, elections executive director Claire Woodhall Vogue has been bombarded by Nate.

In Georgia, Secretary of State Brat Raffinsberger, his wife has gotten a barrage of threatening text messages. If you had to put your finger on it, what or who is responsible for this?

Starting the twenty sixteen election, we had prominent candidates for the presidential office Trump who were running saying that the elections were rigged, that there was rampant fraud, that in fact it was illegitimate Donald jam and that carried into twenty twenty as well from Trump. So that has created an environment that has provided both incentive as well as

Right, Yeah, and someone should go do that. Couldn't agree more. Someone should definitely go talk to an election official. Oh did this twice before? I did again go after being bullied by Tammy to meet with the harassed election official. I'm at City Hall in Philadelphia to speak with Al Schmidt, former Philadelphia City commissioner and Trump's biggest target during the twenty twenty election.

Philadelphia. The city commissioners are responsible for running anything election related, from voter registration to mail in ballots, to election day operations to the final tabulation and certification of the election results. I mean, election administrators are really referees in all of this.

Is it hard to be a referee in Philadelphia? Given Eagles fans?

It certainly can be challenging, But we have the best fans in the country.

Can you give some examples of the type of harassment that you received?

Well, the threats were pretty general in nature leading up to election day, but in the days that followed, especially after the former president targeted to me by name on Twitter, that's when the threats became much more specific and much more graphic, and we're largely targeting my family.

I'm sorry, that must have been terrifying.

I fortunately have the Philadelphia Police Department looking after my family sort of night and day, so walking the dog, going to the grocery store. You know, when I took the kids sledding, the Philadelphia Police Department was right there alongside of us.

Yeah, yeah, totally get it. I'm in the same boat. The police follow my family and I around at all times for different reasons. Is there accountability for people who harass election workers?

I think there's really two types of accountability that are needed. One is for people who are making threats of violence and clearly breaking the law trying to coerce the people responsible for accounting voters votes. And also a different sort of accountability for elected officials who are spreading these lies that I would hope that voters hold them accountable.

Harassers aside, how do you make amends with election deniers? You know, water under the bridge excuse me, water under the bridge.

I've really gone out of my way to make sure that I go to political meetings and answer questions that people have. And the most reason when I went to there's an older gentleman in the back who leaned back and said, forget about the facts for a moment.

Biden lost like that.

Makes it a real challenge to convince someone when their belief system is completely independent of facts.

And as an election official, you could take away that guy's vote.

Right, I want him to vote, and I want him to vote in every election.

Do you though, do you really?

I do?

Do you really?

I do?

Do you though?

Most certainly every election.

Damn, this guy was good, But with all the harassment civil servants like him are facing, I was beginning to worry that there was no way I could end this story on a positive note.

I think it's a.

Very encouraging sign that we had more people step up to volunteer to work on election day in the midterms in twenty twenty two than ever before.

Great, great, so it's fixed.

I did it.

I mean we did it. So there you have in America. Despite the problems we faced during twenty twenty two, thanks to al and election workers across the country. There's still hope that twenty twenty four won't be a complete shit show. Because I can't do another one of these.

I can't.

My guest tonight is the senior Senator from South Carolina with whom I served in the United States Senate. Please welcome Senator Lindsey Graham. Well, well, thanks for coming, man.

This is what happens, right.

I'm hopeful we'll find some common ground.

There's always hope.

And okay, let's talk about You said this week that these charges or this charges in New York might actually help Trump. What do you mean by that?

I think, well, the Republicans who will help Trump because the Saris Fnce was the previous prosecutor. He looked at this and said no thank you. That just attorney looked at it and said no thank you. And this guy comes along, Avon Bragg, and he's now going to prosecute Trump taking a mismeanor to a felony by merging two statutes that have never been used before. It's in New York, and most people on our side think it's a never

Okay, Well, let's take another state where there might be a wrecking ball coming from him, and that's in Georgia.

Yeah, there's Georgia.

Yeah.

I don't know what's going to happen there.

No, you testified there.

I was treated will So.

You know, I wanted to tell you I didn't do this. I want to say, like lindsay, because at first you fought testifying, I said, just go there, tell the truth. You have nothing to worry about. Yeah, okay, because he had talked to Raffinsburger. And part of it, you know, part of this is he talked to Raffensburger on tape. We've all heard the tape, and he said, all I need is eleven thousand, seven hundred and eighty votes, one more than we have, is what he said. And then

Why don't we wait till it comes out. See what miss Willis does with the grand jury testimony. If she chooses to indict him, and based on what she says, I'll respond. But New York is the one in front of us, and we'll deal with that one.

We don't even know that because Trump said it, and it may not be true.

Anything's possible, anything's possible.

But you're right, I mean, okay, let's talk about this. Because Trump, in that tape I remember, said to Raevelisberg, I won Georgia by over four hundred thousand votes. Now you know he won the election. He lost the election. You know he lost the election.

I've voted to certify the Georgia election. Provide yes, I did.

Yeah, you voted to certify. I did, because you have been crazy not to.

I mean that that mean I can't be in the Senate.

Yeah, Republican colleges who did not vote to certify. You know this election wasn't stolen. You know that Trump lost the election.

When I see by and I call him mister president.

But that's different. That's different than acknowledging.

Well, they voted on the floor of the Senate to certify the results of the twenty twenty election. And here's the question for you and maybe others. Trump's trying to come back. I think he's got a better than good chance of winning the primary, and a fifty to fifty chance of being president again.

And you got to ask yourself, Now, this is what we all came your part, right, so you got to ask yourself, how can that be?

Well? Yes, but.

Here's what I Here's what I know about this country, about this democracy, about our constitution. The number one tradition that's meaningful in this country is the peaceful transition of power. Right, you voted to certify. From everything that's come out, we know that Lindsay Powell was lying, Sydney, sorry, Sidney Powell. Giuliani was lying that he was told over and over again by his anyone who had any credibility he lost,

Right really to be president again?

Yeah? Yeah, Well, let.

Me just say this.

The other side of the story is that when President Trump was president, on the things that I care the most about, national security, I thought he did damn good job. He got the Abraham Accords, which is probably the biggest change in my lifetime in the Mid East, where air nations recognize Israel and we're trying to work on Saudi Arabia on the Bidens Watch he kills Solamoni, who's the guy should have been killed a long time ago. He

Well, I think Biden wins that, but we don't have to say it. We bet yeah, how much twenty bucks?

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