Kemp, Trump clash over election results

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, pushed back on President Trump’s demands for “signature verification” in an attempt to overturn election results, saying he has called for such an audit three times.

After Kemp and the president reportedly spoke Saturday morning, the Georgia governor reminded Trump of their conversation.

Trump took to Twitter to voice his frustration over losing the traditionally red state by 12,500 votes and said, “I will easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor [Kemp] or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification.”

“Has not been done and will show large scale discrepancies,” Trump claimed. “Why are these two ‘Republicans’ saying no? If we win Georgia, everything else falls in place!”

But the president’s Saturday comments did not line up with what Kemp reportedly told Trump.

“As I told the President this morning, I’ve publicly called for a signature audit three times (11/20, 11/24, 12/3) to restore confidence in our election process and to ensure that only legal votes are counted in Georgia,” Kemp fired back on Twitter, directly responding to Trump’s tweet.

Trump later responded asking that the governor call for a "special session of the legislature," calling the governing body together outside of the normal session periods.

"But you never got the signature verification! Your people are refusing to do what you ask," Trump replied on twitter. "What are they hiding? At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do."

Georgia officials completed a hand recount of the votes along with an additional machine-based recount, both of which found President-elect Joe Biden had won Georgia.

But even if Trump did win Georgia, it would not be enough for reelection. Biden already secured 279 Electoral College votes after California certified its results Friday. There still are three other states -- Colorado, Hawaii and New Jersey – that Biden won but that have not yet certified votes.

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Biden is expected to be elected with 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232 votes.

Friday, the Trump campaign filed another lawsuit in Georgia requesting the state courts “order a new election to be conducted in the presidential race,” alleging “tens of thousands of illegal votes.”

The Trump campaign’s legal team has issued dozens of lawsuits in several states claiming voter and election fraud – none of which have held up.

“What was filed today clearly documents that there are literally tens of thousands of illegal votes that were cast, counted, and included in the tabulations the Secretary of State is preparing to certify,” Ray S. Smith III, attorney for the Trump campaign, said in the statement Friday. “The Secretary of State has orchestrated the worst excuse for an election in Georgia history.”

“We are asking the Court to vacate the certification of the presidential election and to order a new statewide election for president,” Smith added.

Kemp is not the only Republican pushing back on Trump’s repeated claims of fraud. Numerous investigations have found no evidence of widespread fraud.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, dismissed accusations of election fraud due to lack of evidence, and condemned Trump’s “violent rhetoric.”

“Even after this office's request that President Trump try and quell the violent rhetoric being born out of his continuing claims of winning the states where he obviously lost, he tweeted out ‘expose the massive voter fraud in Georgia,’” Raffensperger said earlier this week during a press conference, reported Reuters.

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“This is exactly the kind of language that is at the base of a growing threat environment for election workers who are simply doing their jobs.”