President Donald Trump continues to berate state leaders in Georgia in an effort to further peddle the delusion that Democrats orchestrated widespread voter fraud that tipped the 2020 election to President-elect Joe Biden.
The Peach State went blue in the presidential election this year for the first time since 1992 and its upcoming runoffs will determine which party controls the Senate starting in 2021.
The votes in Georgia have been counted no fewer than three times. Both the Republican governor and secretary of state have said the election is legitimate. The state has certified its results and cast its electoral votes. A signature audit of Cobb County, whose results Trump disputed, found no fraudulent absentee ballots in a sample of 15,000 ballots.
Trump's belligerent rhetoric against Georgia leaders has resulted in death threats from supporters who believe the fantasy that Democrats successfully stole an election.
Nevertheless, Trump continues to tweet diatribes against Georgia's election process and the officials who oversaw it.
On Tuesday, the President tweeted that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's brother "works for China," implying the election was susceptible to foreign influence.
I love the Great State of Georgia, but the people who run it, from the Governor, @BrianKempGA, to the Secretary of State, are a complete disaster and don't have a clue, or worse. Nobody can be this stupid. Just allow us to find the crime, and turn the state Republican....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2020
...The consent decree signed by the “Secretary", with the consent of Kemp, is perhaps even more poorly negotiated than the deal that John Kerry made with Iran. Now it turns out that Brad R's brother works for China, and they definitely don't want “Trump". So disgusting! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2020
There's just one problem: Brad Raffensperger's brother lives in Canada and has no involvement with any Chinese tech firm.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper was one of the many who called Trump out for the blatantly false statement—and his refusal to correct or amend the bogus claim.
11 hours later, this presidential tweet referring to @GaSecofState Raffensberger's brother who works for a Chinese tech firm — a person who does not, on planet earth, actually exist — remains posted.
Lie after lie after lie after lie. https://t.co/or0N7jbunC
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 30, 2020
The attack is apparently rooted in the fact that there is an executive at a Chinese tech firm with the same last name as the Secretary of State — but it is not @GaSecofState's brother! More here from Georgia Public Broadcasting:https://t.co/FscCczPEYE
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 30, 2020
Tapper noted that someone with the last name "Raffensperger" worked at a Chinese Tech firm, but was of no relation to Georgia's Secretary of State.
People agreed with Tapper that Trump's lies deserved to be corrected.
@Twitter take this lie down NOW! Be responsible. https://t.co/lBABYRRV6A
— Linda Moniak (@lrose728) December 30, 2020
At some point there is a line called Truth https://t.co/gsWSvai4rK
— ricky thomas (@ricthomas61) December 30, 2020
Remind me why we have to wait until next month to suspend Trump's account for spreading misinformation? https://t.co/LWs4AbmKqx
— Andrew Schnittker (@aschnitt53) December 30, 2020
Only in Trumps alternate Universe https://t.co/1LbRzgD0ku
— Keith✨K🖤💛 (@HereWeGo_KeithK) December 30, 2020
Trump's delusions go even deeper. https://t.co/X8DlypBz4v
— Chelle (@Chelley04) December 30, 2020
Why hasn't twitter deleted this lie? https://t.co/gwysbdBXCs
— Carol McGregor (@CarolMcGregor49) December 30, 2020
But Trump's disinformation travels fast, and this lie has already further eroded his supporters' faith in American democracy.
And there it is.
The Cha-Chyna connection. https://t.co/5wKuNKVR6h
— Mary Grace™ 🇺🇸*American* (@MaryGraceMedia) December 30, 2020
They are compromised & may nor want Trump, but they are gonna have to swallow cause We the people support him, not going anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/luSCV50ugI
— Franklin D (@kiowa581997) December 30, 2020
Keep fighting for justice. Justice must prevail. STOP THE STEAL. GOD help us prevail https://t.co/LCNGhnfSe0
— Kay Perkins (@Kaylee939) December 30, 2020
It's unclear now how Trump's smear campaign against the Georgia elections process will affect Republican turnout in the crucial Senate runoffs.
