By Joseph Ax
(Reuters) – Georgia’s top election official, Brad Raffensperger, is scheduled on Wednesday to answer questions from federal investigators examining former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a spokesperson for Raffensperger’s office said.
Raffensperger, Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, will likely be asked about a phone call he received from Trump in January 2021, in which Trump was recorded asking Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to reverse President Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
The wide-ranging investigation includes the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, when a mob of Trump supporters breached the building to try to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.
Trump, front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential race, has denied any wrongdoing and asserts falsely that the election was rigged.
The investigation is one of two overseen by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed last year by Attorney General Merrick Garland to insulate the department from accusations of political influence.
Smith filed criminal charges this month in the second investigation, accusing Trump of mishandling national security documents after leaving office and lying to officials who tried to recover them.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and called the investigation a hoax. He is the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.
The Atlanta district attorney is also conducting an investigation into whether Trump and his allies unlawfully sought to interfere with the 2020 election. She is expected to announce any possible charges by Sept. 1.
Trump faces state charges in Manhattan that he falsified business records to conceal a hush-money payment to a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with him. He has pleaded not guilty and denies the encounter.
Raffensperger’s spokesman did not offer any additional details on the scheduled interview. The news was first reported by the Washington Post.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Howard Goller)
