Georgia secretary of state says he’s a Trump voter ‘now being thrown under the bus by him’

Georgia’s secretary of state on Wednesday bemoaned President Trump’s criticism of him and other elections officials in the state, saying Trump has used them as a scapegoat in the wake of his election loss.

“By all accounts, Georgia had a wildly successful and smooth election,” Brad Raffensperger wrote in a USA Today op-ed. “We finally defeated voting lines and put behind us Fulton County’s now notorious reputation for disastrous elections. This should be something for Georgians to celebrate, whether their favored presidential candidate won or lost. For those wondering, mine lost — my family voted for him, donated to him and are now being thrown under the bus by him.”

President-elect Joe Biden was able to flip Georgia for Democrats in a presidential election for the first time since the early 1990s, an achievement Trump has alleged was made possible only through a “rigged” and unfair voting process.

Raffensperger’s office has twice confirmed Biden’s narrow victory in the Peach State, with the Trump campaign asking for a second recount earlier this week. 

“Throughout my two years as secretary of state, I have fought repeatedly to uphold the integrity of elections in Georgia. We worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to strengthen signature matching for absentee ballot voters,” Raffensperger wrote. “In times of uncertainty, when the integrity of our political system is most at risk, the integrity of our politicians is paramount.”

Raffensperger, a Republican, said he and his family members voted for Trump.

“Many of my fellow Republicans are men and women of integrity,” he said. “They demonstrate it each and every day: fighting for their constituents, fighting for liberty, and fighting for fair and reliable elections. In times like these, we need leaders of integrity to guide us through.”