Georgia Officials Complain About “Unpatriotic” Attack on Election Integrity

Gabriel Sterling, Voting Systems Manager for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, speaks to reporters at the state capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, in November. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Several Georgia officials speaking on Sunday news programs rejected the president’s attacks on the integrity of the election there and dismissed his calls for a special session of the state legislature to overturn the results.

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who campaigned for Trump, said on CNN that Trump had clearly lost the state and that it was “concerning” that Trump was encouraging the spread of misinformation about the electoral process. “The mountains of misinformation are not helping the process,” he said. “They are only hurting it.” He also said that he was confident that Gov. Brian Kemp would not give in to Trump’s demands from a Saturday morning phone call. In that call, Trump demanded that Kemp convince his party to convene a special session to override the election and appoint faithless electors to vote for Trump. According to the Washington Post, Kemp declined.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another Republican, also complained about the attacks on his state’s election during an appearance on ABC News on Sunday. He said he had received death threats, his wife had been harassed, and “young poll workers and election workers” had been attacked. “You’re seeing just irrational, angry behavior,” he said. “It’s unpatriotic.” He once again said that there was no evidence of significant voter fraud.

On Tuesday, Gabriel Sterling, a top official at the secretary of state’s office, held a news conference in which he rebuked the president for flaming conspiracy theories and supporting attacks on the election. “Someone’s going to get hurt, someone’s going to get shot, someone’s going to get killed,” he said. Sterling spoke again about his experience on Sunday during an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press. According to Sterling, he reached his breaking point when “a young tech” falsely accused of altering votes in Georgia became the subject of numerous death threats. “I’ve got police protection outside my house,” he said. “Fine. You know, I took a higher-profile job. I get it. The secretary ran for office; his wife knew that, too. This kid took a job. He just took a job, and it’s just wrong.”

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