Georgia Election Official Who Begged Trump to Tamp Down Voter Fraud Rhetoric Bashes President’s 46-Minute Jeremiad: ‘It’s Looney Tunes’
An election official in Georgia who begged President Donald Trump to ratchet down his voter fraud rhetoric and condemn violent threats is speaking out after his pleas went unheeded.
Appearing on CNN’s New Day Thursday, Gabriel Sterling — who holds the title of election implementation manager in Georgia — bashed Trump’s 46-minute screed dredging up debunked or baseless voter fraud claims, arguing that the president’s rant was especially nonsensical given that he is headed to the Peach State this weekend to campaign for Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and Sen. David Perdue (R-GA). And Sterling also slammed pro-Trump Lin Wood and Sidney Powell for their rhetoric at a Georgia rally on Wednesday.
“I mean, it’s Looney Tunes,” he said. “The president’s literally coming to Georgia to campaign for the same two senators that his two former lawyers who are filing lawsuits to contest the election, with the same claims that the president made in his very long 46-minute video yesterday that have already been debunked. I’m speechless.”
On Tuesday, Sterling made an impassioned plea directly to Trump — noting that he and his cohorts have received death threats.
“Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language,” Sterling said. “Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop. We need you to step up. And if you’re going to take a position of leadership, show some.”
On Wednesday, it became clear that his appeal to Trump had gone for naught.
“You listen up, Gabriel!” Wood said at the Wednesday rally. “You’re not gonna sell our votes to China!”
Sterling was perplexed by Wood’s comments.
“This all comes out of fever dreams,” he said. “There’s just no basis in any reality whatsoever. But there are people who are emotionally tied to the president, and the president is taking advantage of that. And one of the other things is, people like Lin Wood and Sidney Powell are taking advantage of people not understanding the ins and outs of a relatively complex system of how elections work.”
Watch above, via CNN.
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