US President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to urge Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to "immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature," responding to a Kemp post in which the governor noted that he had called for an mail ballot audit in the state several times.
"But you never got the signature verification!", Trump tweeted back. "Your people are refusing to do what you ask. What are they hiding? At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do", Trump went on, adding a hashtag #Transparency at the end of his tweet.
But you never got the signature verification! Your people are refusing to do what you ask. What are they hiding? At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do. #Transparency https://t.co/h73ZfjrDt3
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2020
The final words of Trump's tweet apparently referred to the governor's earlier revelation that he does not have a right to launch a ballot audit, as only Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is authorised to do so.
Earlier, a WaPo report suggested that Kemp had rejected Trump's request to assemble a special session of the legislature so as to nullify the election results in Georgia. POTUS sought to overturn these results, alleging election fraud, particularly after a surveillance video alleged that Fulton County election staff had pulled out "suitcases" of extra ballots.
'Republicans Will NEVER Forget This'
In follow-up tweets, Trump denounced the governors of Arizona and Georgia, saying that "they fight harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems". He then doubled down on claims that he received more "legal" votes, and vowed that "Republicans will NEVER forget this".
...We received more LEGAL votes by far. All I can do is run, campaign, and be a good (great!) President – it is 100% up to the states to manage the election. Republicans will NEVER forget this.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2020
In Arizona, Trump team also claimed election fraud, referring to the witnesses that alleged at the hearings that they saw ballots being backdated and duplicated.
Still, Arizona Governor Doug Docey endorsed the election results certified by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, meeting backlash from Trump over "rush" to confirm the results.
What's the Deal With Georgia?
The Peach State is drawing particular attention recently in the wake of the Trump legal team rolling out an alleged surveillance video, claimed to reveal evidence of election workers in Atlanta's Fulton County staying behind and pulling out "suitcases" filled with extra ballots that they have counted after press and party observers were told to leave the ballot counting location.
After the alleged surveillance video went viral, the Trump team demanded a signature audit of mail-in ballots and urged state authorities to nullify Joe Biden's victory in Georgia.
Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger, however, has not authorised an audit and, according to reports, has refuted allegations that the surveillance video shows "suitcases" of ballots, arguing that the purported "suitcases" were cases specifically designed to store the ballots. His office has also reportedly pointed out that there were observers in the ballot counting location.
Georgia is one of the battleground states where the Trump legal team has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the outcome of the November election. According to US mainstream media, Joe Biden has won the White House race. Trump, however, refuses to concede to the Democratic candidate.
Despite that, POTUS has agreed to the launch of the formal process of power transition to Biden.
According to preliminary results, Trump lost Georgia and its 16 electors to Joe Biden. The president, however, has continuously refused to concede to the Democratic candidate, and Trump's legal team has filed numerous lawsuits in several key battleground states.
