A Georgia election official told the January 6 House committee that he believed Donald Trump was threatening him physical violence if he could not find enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s lead in the 2020 presidential election.
The startling revelation was contained in a new trove of witness transcripts released by the select committee on Tuesday from its investigation into the violent insurrection at the US Capitol.
In sworn testimony, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told the panel that he had feared for his safety during an infamous phone call where Mr Trump implored state officials to “find the 11,780 votes”.
Mr Trump repeatedly pressured election officials to find the exact number of votes he was trailing Mr Biden by during the hour-long phone call on 2 January 2021.
Asked by the panel during a November 2021 interview how he interpreted Mr Trump’s statement that “this stuff is very dangerous stuff”, Mr Raffensperger said that he felt there could be “consequences”.
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘subtle’ pressure,” Mr Raffensperger said.
He went on to say he continued to feel threatened by some of Mr Trump’s more “radical followers”.
Former Department of Defense special counsel Ryan Goodman tweeted that the statement would be “key evidence” in an investigation led by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis into Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the election.
The two year grand jury investigation has called numerous Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Michael Flynn and Lindsey Graham to testify.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that the investigation appeared to be wrapping up.
The investigation is one of several criminal probes Mr Trump is facing.
