Georgia's Raffensperger says he 'never believed' it appropriate to speak with Trump about election

[DonViejo]

The Republican secretary of state also said the call from Trump could warrant an investigation into possible conflicts of interest.

Jan. 4, 2021, 9:39 AM EST
By Rebecca Shabad

WASHINGTON — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Monday that he has never thought it was appropriate to speak to President Donald Trump about the 2020 election results and that the conversations Trump has had with him and other elections officials could pose a conflict of interest that warrants investigating.

When asked on ABC’s “Good Morning America” whether he had spoken to Trump before a phone call he and the president had on Saturday, Raffensperger said, “I never believed it was appropriate to speak to the president.”

Ultimately, the call happened after White House staff pushed for it, Raffensperger said, adding that he “preferred not to talk to someone when we’re in litigation,” a reference to Trump’s lawsuit against Georgia over the election results.

“We took the call, and we had a conversation. He did most of the talking, we did most of the listening," Raffensperger said. "But I did want to make my points that the data that he has is just plain wrong."

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/georgia-s-raffensperger-says-he-never-believed-it-appropriate-speak-n1252724

[Baitball Blogger]

1. Hooray! Finally. A public servant who gets it!

I was perturbed when I heard that GWBII had a direct phone line to Tim Russert.

Newsflash: You don't have objectivity if you're being privately lobbied by the people who have huge conflicts of interest.

[exboyfil]

2. Just like talking with legislators and governors

and county election board officials. All of these things are improper conflicts of interest irrespective of what was said.

These officials should be like judges. All conversations cannot occur ex parte. If election issues are of a concern, then both parties need to be present to discuss them.

This is how a banana republic is run.

[Danascot]

3. Conflicts?

I would characterize Trumps actions as obvious violations of state and federal election law. It's more than a conflict.