A spokesperson for Brad Raffensperger confirmed Tuesday that the Georgia Secretary of State is set to be interviewed by investigators in the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Along with his investigation into former President Trump’s handling of classified documents, which has brought about an indictment on 37 criminal counts, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to investigate any potential criminal wrongdoing by Trump regarding the 2020 election and the related January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
During Trump’s January 2, 2021 phone call to Raffensperger, which the Secretary of State recorded, the then-President pressured his fellow Republican, saying, “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.” The call is reportedly what sparked Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis’ state-level investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results, which Trump lost to now-President Biden.
In December the House Select January 6 Committee entitled the second chapter in its final report, “I Just Want to Find 11,780 Votes” in reference to the phone call and what the committee said were Trump’s attempts to subvert the Electoral College, and to replace legitimate slates of electors with fake ones.
News of the Raffensperger interview follows reports of other actions in recent days by the special counsel’s office, including that at least two fake electors have been compelled to testify to a federal grand jury.
And regarding January 6, during which four people died and five police officers died of various causes following the insurrection, some five or six Secret Service agents have reportedly also testified before a federal grand jury.
Smith’s office subpoenaed Raffensperger and other state election officials back in December, but NBC News reports that last year’s request was for documents, not testimony.
The Washington Post, which first reported the news of Raffensperger’s testimony, said that the interview had been delayed by Smith’s office several times.
Though Raffensperger was interviewed last year by the January 6 Committee, which televised some of his testimony, this would be his first interview with the U.S. Department of Justice.
