By Tammy Joyner
Former President Donald Trump faces his second impeachment trial today with yet another investigation hanging over his head.
Georgia’s Secretary of State announced Monday it was investigating Trump’s Jan. 6 call pressuring election officials to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results. Officials launched the investigation after George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf filed a complaint, according to Reuters news service.
The probe could lead to a possible criminal investigation by state and local authorities. Secretary of state officials were not available at press time.
“Clearly he sought to get the Secretary of State to transfer votes cast for [Pres. Joe] Biden to him which is clearly illegal,” Charles Holmes, former director of the Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy and emeritus professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University, told Atlanta Civic Circle. “When you talk about rampant fraud, this is the very definition of that.”
The Jan. 2 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is expected to take center stage during the impeachment proceedings, which covers numerous charges against Trump, including inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at The U.S. Capitol.
“It’s a tough and decisive week,” said Holmes, who plans to watch the impeachment proceedings. “They [Trump’s lawyers] have no legal argument.”
But Holmes added, “like the first impeachment, he’s probably going to get away with it. You have very few [Republican] senators who are willing to vote to convict him.”
Trump is the first American president to face impeachment twice.
See the letter Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger sent to former vice president Mike Pence regarding the accuracy of the outcome of Georgia’s 2020 election results here.
