Georgia elections official to speak to federal prosecutors probing Trump’s efforts to undo 2020 loss

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is scheduled to be interviewed by federal prosecutors, led by special counsel Jack Smith, who are investigating the attempts made by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results.

On January 2, 2021, during a lengthy phone call, Trump suggested that Raffensperger, the highest-ranking elections official in Georgia, could assist in “finding” the votes needed to reverse Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the state’s presidential election. Prior to this call, Trump and his allies had been baselessly claiming widespread election fraud as the reason for his loss in Georgia, publicly criticizing Raffensperger for his failure to take action to reverse the outcome.

The secretary of state’s office confirmed that Raffensperger will speak with special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors in Atlanta on Wednesday. The Washington Post initially reported the planned interview.

In addition to the federal investigation led by Smith, efforts to overturn Trump’s loss in Georgia are also being probed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Atlanta. Raffensperger provided testimony before a special grand jury in that case in June of the previous year. Willis has indicated that she will announce charging decisions sometime this summer.

Previously, Raffensperger received a subpoena from Smith’s team for communications involving Trump, his campaign, lawyers, and aides. Similar subpoenas were issued to officials in other states and counties targeted by Trump and his allies in their attempts to overturn the election.

Smith, appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, is leading investigations into Trump’s actions and those of his allies following the 2020 election, including the violent Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and Trump’s handling of classified documents. The documents investigation resulted in a 38-count indictment against Trump and his valet Walt Nauta earlier this month. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 37 counts against him, while Nauta’s arraignment, initially set for Tuesday, has been postponed until next week.

Furthermore, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump in March on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments made to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential election.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about election investigation

More about election investigation

• Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to speak to federal prosecutors – The Washington Post article reporting on Raffensperger’s scheduled interview with federal prosecutors.
• Georgia election official to be interviewed by special counsel investigating Trump’s efforts – Reuters article providing information on Raffensperger’s interview with special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors.
• Investigation into Trump’s attempts to overturn election – New York Times article detailing the investigations into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
• Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis – Official website of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is conducting a separate investigation into the election efforts in Georgia.
• U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland – Official biography of U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed special counsel Jack Smith to lead the investigations.