Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., called on Georgia’s attorney general to investigate Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for his handling of the 2020 election.
In a letter sent to state Attorney General Chris Carr on Wednesday, Loeffler asked the state to launch a probe to determine whether Raffensperger used his office to advance his personal political interests during the 2020 election cycle, citing several comments Raffensperger made downplaying citizens’ concerns about election integrity in the state.
“This request is not about the outcome of an election, but about the loss of confidence in our elections and the importance of holding elected officials accountable for upholding the law and carrying out their constitutional duties,” Loeffler wrote.
“If voters don’t trust the electoral process and their elected officials, we risk sustained damage to voter participation in our state,” she added.
As evidence of Raffensperger’s alleged misconduct, Loeffler said the Republican official tried to shut down county investigations into absentee voting and improperly released a recording of his phone call with former president Donald Trump to make it seem like Trump was trying to steal Georgia’s election.
Loeffler also accused Raffnesperger of entering into a consent decree with high-powered Democrat lawyers and activist groups led by failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams that changed the signature-verification process for absentee balloting without informing the Republican-led state legislature.
“Georgians deserve answers regarding these issues and to understand the impact these and other matters may have on future elections,” Loeffler explained. “Failure to acknowledge these issues and irregularities will lead to a continued loss of trust in our elections.”
Carr’s office declined Loeffler’s request on Wednesday, saying that as the executive branch’s lawyer, the attorney general cannot investigate its own client.
“Under the Georgia Constitution, the Department of Law is the lawyer Executive Branch of government—which includes the Secretary of State’s Office,” a spokesperson for Carr said in a statement. “As such, we cannot investigate our own client on these particular matters. We’ve forwarded the letter to our client for their review and appropriate response.”
