Explosive media report - Audio recording revealed: Trump urged Michigan election inspectors not to certify Biden's win
Former US President Donald Trump has apparently personally urged election inspectors in Wayne County, Michigan, not to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. This was reported by the Detroit News, citing previously unknown audio recordings that the newspaper claims to have listened to. They were made available to the paper via an intermediary - on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from Trump or his supporters.
The four recordings are said to have been made on November 17, 2020, two weeks after the presidential election, by a person present at the interview. At the time, Trump had spoken to Monica Palmer and William Hartmann on the phone together with Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. The two members of the Wayne County Board of Elections had initially expressed their support for the certification shortly beforehand during a meeting of the election board, but then refused to confirm the Democrats' victory over the Republicans with their signatures.
Donald Trump appeals to election inspectors to "fight" for "our country"
During the phone call, which according to theDetroit News took place half an hour after the end of the committee meeting, Trump reportedly said that Palmer and Hartmann would look "terrible" if they signed the certification after initially refusing to do so. "We have to fight for our country," the newspaper quotes the former president as saying. "We can't let these people take our country away from us."
McDaniel, who is from Michigan, reportedly assured Palmer and Hartmann elsewhere in the phone call, "If you can go home tonight, don't sign it. [...] We'll get you lawyers."
Trump then added: "We'll take care of it."
A day after the call, both election inspectors asked to "withdraw" their support for the certification because they had been pressured. Their attempt was unsuccessful, however, and Michigan ultimately certified Biden's victory in the state's largest district.
Palmer had confirmed the phone call with Trump back in 2020, but told theWashington Post that the then-president called her to express his support and did not pressure her to act in his favor. "His concern was for my safety, and that was really touching," she said. "It wasn't pressure. It was a genuine concern for my safety."
Neither Palmer nor McDaniel and Trump denied a summary of the call when asked through their spokespeople, the Detroit News reports. Hartmann died in 2021, and McDaniel said she had "publicly and repeatedly" said at the time "that there was ample evidence to warrant an investigation".
Trump's spokesman Steven Cheung told the US portal "Politico" about the allegations: "All of President Trump's actions were taken in fulfillment of his duty as President of the United States to faithfully uphold the law and ensure the integrity of elections, including the investigation into the rigged and stolen 2020 presidential election. President Trump and the American people have a constitutional right to free and fair elections."
Trump already indicted for his post-election behavior
The Detroit News report sheds further light on Trump's attempts to remain in power despite his election defeat. The 77-year-old, who wants to run for the Republican presidential nomination again next year, is already facing two criminal charges in connection with his actions in the weeks and months following his election.
In the state of Georgia, Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn the election results there. The evidence includes the now infamous, also recorded, phone call with Georgia's Chief Electoral Officer Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked him to "find" the 11,780 votes needed to win in the southern state.
At the federal level, Trump is facing charges for the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Special prosecutor Jack Smith accuses the former president of, among other things, a conspiracy whose intention was "to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election using knowingly false allegations of voter fraud".
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Source: www.stern.de
