Georgia on My Mind

 Georgia, Georgia, Georgia on My Mind - Given the extent to which former President Trump has been willing to go to denigrate the November 3rd election as a fraud and a sham, which he nonetheless claims he won by a landslide, it is remarkable the lengths he has gone to overturn the election in the state of Georgia. In the process he has very likely violated Georgia law, and likely federal law, also. 

David J. Worley, a lawyer and the only Democrat on the state elections board, has cited Georgia Code 821-2-604, which makes it a crime to solicit someone else to commit election fraud. Violation of it can result in a three-year prison term. Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, charges that Trump "knowingly and willfully" pressured  Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to count nonexistent votes for Trump. Trump was not pushing for an "honest tally" when he implored Raffensperfger to find 11,780 votes to credit for him. 

Michael F. Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, said: "His best defense would be to plead insanity." Other legal scholars said Trump may have violated 18 U.S. Code 241, which makes it illegal to participate in a conspiracy against people exercising their civil rights.

Rick Hasen, considered to be America's top election expert, has accused Trump of "related ballot stuffing" in what he calls Trump's "shakedown" call to Raffensperger. Hasen was referring to what may have been Trump's last call to Raffensperger, as Trump had talked to Raffensperger several times before. On one of these earlier calls, another state elections official had listened in, and confirmed that Trump had implored Raffensperger to commit an illegal act.

In a December 23rd call, Trump urged state elections investigators to "find the fraud." Intervening in an ongoing investigation could be charged as obstruction of justice.

Before President Trump's plane landed in Georgia for him to attend a rally, he phoned Sen. Kelly Loeffler, trying to hold on to her U.S. Senate seat, he warned that he "would do a number on her" if she didn't announce support for his electoral college challenges.

Among the lesser interventions into Georgia elections by Donald Trump, was the abrupt departure of U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak. Pak apparently angered Trump because he wasn't doing enough to "find the fraud." The Justice Department is currently investigating the Pak departure. The normal succession would have been for Pak's deputy to replace him, at least temporarily, but Trump chose someone who was out of the line of succession.