Raffensperger Pens 10-Page Letter Refuting False Election Claims

GEORGIA — In the ongoing battle over Georgia election accuracy, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has released the 10-page letter he sent to two of Georgia's congressmen and outgoing-Senator Kelly Loeffler.

The three previously said they would object to the state's electors in the November 2020 election, although Loeffler dropped her opposition after rioters stormed their way into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to halt the Electoral College certification of President-elect Democrat Joe Biden.

Raffensperger specifically addressed his letter to Congressmen Jody Hice, who represents Georgia's 10th congressional district, and Barry Loudermilk, who represents Georgia's 11th congressional district, along with Loeffler.

"You are certainly entitled to your opinions," Raffensperger wrote. "However, I want to ensure that your colleagues in the House and Senate have accurate information on which to base their votes to your objection. Once these refutations are considered, I am confident that Georgia's validly elected electors will be accepted."

Loeffler, who lost her seat to Democratic Senator-elect Raphael Warnock Jan. 5, retracted her previous objections to the certification of Joe Biden's presidency, the senator said during the reconvened Electoral College certification Jan. 6.

The Senate and House resumed the electoral count at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday with comments from the vice president and Senate leaders condemning the "thugs" who desecrated the building. Biden's election was certified about 4 a.m. Thursday.

Loeffler said the riot at the Capitol "forced her to reconsider" her objection to the results. The outgoing senator has previously voiced support on Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud in the presidential election.

"I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors," Loeffler said. "The violence, the lawlessness and siege of the halls of Congress are abhorrent and stand as a direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect: the sanctity of the American democratic process."

Raffensperger, a Republican, said in the letter that while he is disappointed in the results of the 2020 presidential election, he said his office has "taken multiple steps to confirm that the result is accurate, including conducting a hand audit that confirmed the results of the presidential contest, a recount requested by President Trump that also confirmed the result, an audit of voting machines that confirmed the software on the machine was accurate and not tampered with, and an audit of absentee ballot signatures in Cobb County that confirmed that process was done correctly."

Law enforcement officers with Raffensperger's office, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, have been investigating all claims of fraud or irregularities, and continue to investigate, he said.

"Their work has shown to me that there is nowhere close to sufficient evidence to put in doubt the result of the presidential contest in Georgia," Raffensperger wrote. "Just as the result of your own election was valid and accurate, the certified result in the presidential contest is valid and accurate as well."

Hice answered Vice President Mike Pence, who asked if the objection was signed by a senator as well as a representative, that "following the events of today, it appears some senators have withdrawn their objection." Applause ensured afterward.

Even so, Hice went on to tell Pence that, "myself, members of the Georgia delegation and some 74 of my Republican colleagues and I object to the electoral votes from the state of Georgia on the grounds that the election conducted on Nov. 3 was faulty and fraudulent due to unilateral actions by the Secretary of State to unlawfully change the state's election process without approval from the General Assembly and thereby setting the stage for an unprecedented amount of fraud and irregularities."

Loeffler said while there were still "irregularities" in the presidential election, there is no excuse for the events at the Capitol on Wednesday.

"There is no excuse for the events that took place in these chambers today," said Loeffler, who received applause as she finished speaking. "I pray that America never suffers such a dark day again."

Related:

• Loeffler Retracts Electoral Objection After Capitol Riots
• Electoral College Count: How GA's Congressional Delegation Voted
• GA Senate Races: Ossoff Wins, Democrats To Control U.S. Senate
• Police Escort Raffensperger, Staff Out Of Georgia Capitol
• Jimmy Carter, Gov. Kemp, GA Leaders Condemn Capitol Mayhem