'January 6 U.S. Capitol Riot' 4th Public Hearing
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Testimony has emerged that former U.S. President Donald Trump pressured high-ranking officials to change the electors when he refused to accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
On the 21st (local time), the fourth public hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th federal Capitol riot held last year took place in the United States. The riot was an incident where supporters of former President Trump stormed the federal Capitol in refusal of the election results.
At the hearing, election officials from battleground states appeared as witnesses and testified about the harassment by Trump supporters. Testimonies also continued regarding how persistently and to what extent former President Trump exerted pressure on high-ranking officials to overturn his election defeat.
Particularly, statements from election officials in Arizona and Georgia, states where former President Trump had a close race in the last election, drew attention. These areas were traditionally Republican strongholds, but President Joe Biden won in the last election.
Rusty Bowers, a Republican and Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, disclosed the content of a phone call he received from former President Trump after the election. The call included Trump's suggestion that the state legislature should step in and replace the electors with pro-Trump electors.
Speaker Bowers testified, "We received over 20,000 emails, tens of thousands of voice messages and texts from Trump supporters. The office was paralyzed to the point where we could not work, and communication itself became impossible."
He also revealed that threats from supporters continued outside his office, and protesters came to his home, accusing him of being a 'pedophile' and insulting him.
On the 21st local time, the 4th public hearing to investigate the truth behind the January 6th Capitol riot last year, carried out by supporters of former President Trump, was held. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, also testified that he received a call from former President Trump saying, "Find 11,780 votes that can overturn Biden's victory."
When Raffensperger said, "There is nothing wrong with the investigation results," Trump labeled him as incompetent and dishonest. Raffensperger criticized that standing up to Trump's false claims was "like trying to empty the ocean with a shovel."
Mike Shirkey, the Michigan State Senate Majority Leader, revealed that after Trump posted his phone number online, effectively 'targeting' him, he received 4,000 text messages.
Cutler, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, also testified that after his personal information was posted online, protesters appeared in front of his house while his 15-year-old son was home alone.
Meanwhile, in U.S. presidential elections, the winner is determined by securing a majority (270) of electors allocated by state, not by the nationwide popular vote. The total number of electors from the 50 states is 538, which is the sum of 100 senators (2 per state) and 438 representatives (number varies by population). The candidate who receives the most votes in each state takes all the electors from that state.
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