Staff Reports
In a case that is becoming increasingly dramatic, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has been subpoenaed to testify in a hearing regarding the state’s 2020 general election results. Alongside Raffensperger, several other key players, including former President Donald Trump and former chief of staff Mark Meadows, are also expected to testify. This hearing comes after Meadows, who was indicted over actions contesting the election results, seeks to remove his case from state to federal court.
The indictment, brought forward by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, charges Meadows, Trump, and 17 other defendants under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Willis alleges that their actions constitute a “criminal racketeering enterprise,” while the defendants assert their innocence. Meadows, relying on the supremacy clause, has filed a notice of removal from state court, arguing that his actions were taken as a federal official and therefore he is immune.
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Presiding over the hearing will be U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. In addition to Raffensperger, Frances Watson, the former chief investigator for the Georgia Secretary of State, and attorneys Kurt Hilbert and Alex Kaufman have also been subpoenaed to testify.
One of the key pieces of evidence in the case is the phone call between President Trump and Raffensperger, in which Trump asked the secretary of state to investigate alleged election fraud. The call lasted for an hour, during which Trump famously said, “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.” Trump’s attorneys, however, have defended the call as a legitimate exercise of political speech.
Although Raffensperger has not commented on the upcoming hearing, it is clear that his testimony will be crucial in determining the outcome of this high-stakes case. The indictment against Meadows also alleges other acts of racketeering, such as arranging meetings between Trump and state officials and attempting to watch the signature match audit. Meadows’s lawyers argue that all of these actions were simply those of a federal official and did not constitute criminal behavior.
As the case heads to court, all eyes will be on the testimony of Raffensperger, Meadows, and the other key players. The outcome of this hearing could have significant implications for the ongoing debate over the integrity of the 2020 election in Georgia.
