Donald Trump has doubled down on claims the presidential race was fraudulent, even as Georgia’s officials warned his rhetoric would see someone harmed.
Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting implementation manager, had warned on Tuesday that the US president’s baseless attacks on the election outcome had threatened election workers’ lives.
Some, said Mr Sterling, have even received death threats in recent days, as the state worked to confirm election results during a second recount, which had come at the Trump campaign’s request.
But the president, rather than condemning acts of violence, shared a video of Mr Sterling’s statement, and claimed once again the presidential race was a “Rigged Election”, but provided no evidence.
“What is Secretary of State [Brad Raffensperger] and [governor] Brian Kemp afraid of,” asked Mr Trump, having suggested that signatures on the states’ ballots were fraudulent.
Mr Sterling said on Tuesday the president’s allegations of voter fraud were “inspiring acts of violence” against Mr Kemp, Mr Raffensperger, and other state officials.
One election worker, according to Mr Sterling, received death threats and a noose outside home, as he transferred a voting report from a management system to a centralised county computer.
“It has to stop,” Mr Sterling said. “Mr President, you have not condemned these actions or this language, [and] Senators, you have not condemned these words or these actions. This has to stop”.
“We need you to step up and take a position of leadership,” Mr Sterling added.
Mr Trump’s own Justice Department has found no evidence that the presidential contest was rigged, despite his allegations.
