Trump Urges Georgia Election Investigator to 'Find the Fraud' in December Phone Call

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Jan 09, 2021 08:53 PM EST

(Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn on June 25, 2020 in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump urged a Georgia election investigator to "find the fraud" in a phone call last December as state officials verified signatures on absentee ballots in one metro-Atlanta county.

This "find the fraud" phone call raised new questions about his effort to pressure state leaders into overturning the results of the November 3 polls.

Trump's call to the Georgia election investigator was first reported by The Washington Post and is said to have happened shortly before Christmas.

The Georgia election investigator who was told to "find the fraud" was not identified in the report.

However, a local official spoke to USA Today on the condition of anonymity to confirm the details of the call.

A report from The Associated Press also stated that the president told the investigator would be a national hero if they "found the fraud."

Trump lost in the Georgia election to President-elect Joe Biden by 11,779 votes.

He only has less than two weeks left in his term as the current president.

'Find the Fraud' Phone Call May Open New Legal Challenge for Trump

Former prosecutors told USA Today that Trump could possibly face another legal challenge because of the phone call.

Some cases may include obstruction of justice or other criminal violations, legal experts said. The only downside to this matter is that it would be difficult to prove.

"Trump's efforts look criminal on their face, but proving his state of mind will be tricky because his state of mind is rather complicated," former prosecutor Renato Mariotti said.

Mariotti added that a prosecution can be made depending on Trump's intentions and knowledge during the time of the call.

Last week, a recording of Trump revealed he was telling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" more than 11,000 votes to reverse his loss in the state.

It appeared that Trump wanted the Secretary of State to change the certified results as he insisted that he earned the votes.

The "find the fraud" call was made after Raffensperger started an investigation into GOP claims that officials in Cobb County allowed improper signatures on mail ballots.

The audit was completed in December where only two mismatched signatures were found, but no case of fraud was found.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump's Pressure Campaign for Georgia Election Extends Before Raffensperger

Raffensperger was not the only known official in Trump's campaign of pressuring people to overturn the elections.

The Wall Street Journal also said in a report that White House officials were urging a U.S. Attorney to resign in Georgia due to concerns that there was enough investigation of Trump's fraud claims.

Georgia election officials have been subject to Trump's criticism as he blamed his loss on widespread voter fraud. However, the U.S. Department of Justice did not find these claims to be true and the president's efforts in different courts have repeatedly witnessed rejection.

After months of refusing to concede, Trump acknowledged for the first time this week the he did indeed lose the election to Biden.

He also assured that he would be leaving the White House on January 20, the day Biden would be inaugurated into office.

However, these declarations may not absolve him from investigations linked to pressuring various officials, experts said.