U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., took aim at President Donald Trump on Thursday, hours before the president was scheduled to deliver a prime-time national address focusing on alleged election fraud. The speech is expected to feature claims about the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Speaking to reporters, Ossoff characterized the upcoming address as a rehash of “debunked conspiracy theories” concerning the 2020 election, which he noted has already been audited, litigated, and confirmed. He warned that any attempt by the president to challenge the state’s election integrity is an attack on the electorate itself.
“If the president declares Georgia’s elections illegitimate, or if the president declares Georgia’s sitting United States senators illegitimate, he is declaring Georgia voters illegitimate,” Ossoff said.
The Democratic senator pointed back to the 2020 post-election phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump asked Raffensperger to “find” the votes necessary to reverse his loss in the state.
“It’s Donald Trump who tried to defraud Georgia voters in that election,” Ossoff said. “Donald Trump who tried to commit election fraud when he called Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and it was caught on tape — and you should play the tape for your viewers today — and badgered, bullied Georgia’s top election official to quote ‘find him the votes’ that he needed to win.”
Ossoff called the planned use of the broadcast “presidential misconduct” and an “abuse of the bully pulpit.” He argued that the address is a distraction from other national issues, including conflict in the Middle East and the rising cost of living.
The senator also challenged local Republican leaders to take a clear stance on the president’s upcoming remarks.
“This is the last thing Georgia Republicans want Donald Trump talking about right now,” Ossoff said. “But every single elected Republican in the state of Georgia should have to answer on the record today and tomorrow about the president’s outrageous conspiracy theories.”
The press conference follows a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday, during which Ossoff pressed Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, after Clayton declined to state who won the 2020 presidential election.
READ: Journalist Battles Feds In Virginia Court Over Seized iPhones And Exposed Sources
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
