CNN
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Detroit News reviewed Recording of a call Former President Donald Trump urged two Michigan county officials in 2020 not to certify election results from Detroit.
The call was previously known and CNN reports — and was condemned at the time by election experts and Michigan Democrats, who called it a spectacular effort by a sitting president to pressure local officials to interfere in the election.
For the first time, we're learning exactly what Trump meant, the Detroit News reported. CNN has not independently obtained or verified the record.
RNC Chairwoman Rona McDaniel, who was on the call, told officials about the certificate: “Don't sign it. … We'll get you lawyers.
Later, Trump added, “We'll take care of it.”
GOP officials from the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, Monica Palmer and William Hartman, later sought to overturn their votes to certify the results. But it was too late. Michigan State Canvassing Board Then certified the results Despite public pressure from Trump and other Republicans.
02:16 – Source: CNN
A leaked video re-enacts the meeting that allegedly prompted Trump to pressure canvassers not to certify for the 2020 election.
The new revelations from Michigan fit a broad and well-established pattern of Trump trying to pressure state officials to interfere in the 2020 election results. He is despicable Caught on tape cajoling He, too, “found” enough ballots to overturn the Georgia Secretary of State's results Made calls For higher authorities in Arizona.
Based on these and other actions by Trump, special counsel Jack Smith has charged him with four felonies, and he is currently scheduled to go on trial in March. The federal indictment alleges Trump's “use of deception to obtain state officials to subvert legitimate election results,” though it does not specifically mention the Wayne County incident.
It is unclear whether Smith was aware of or had already obtained the Michigan recording.
In response to the Detroit News' report on the recording, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement, “All of President Trump's actions were taken in furtherance of his duty as President of the United States to faithfully observe and uphold the laws.” “Electoral Integrity.”
McDaniel said in a statement Thursday, “As indicated in my letter of November 21, 2020, which I stated publicly and repeatedly at the time, there was sufficient evidence to warrant an audit.”
CNN is currently attempting to reach Palmer for comment on the record. Hartmann died in late 2021.
According to the Detroit News, Trump told officials on the call that Republicans “have been cheated on this election” and that “everybody knows Detroit is crooked as hell.” “When you have more votes than people, how can anyone sign the election certificate,” he asked. False statement A lot of dead people voted in Michigan.
The former president has often said that Wayne County, Michigan's largest county and home to Detroit, has “more votes than people.” Which is false – According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 878,102 people voted for president in Wayne County, a county of more than 1.7 million people.
“We have to fight for our country,” Trump said on the call. “We cannot allow these people to take our country away from us.”
