Perdue defends Trump's request to Georgia secretary of state, calls leak of recording 'disgusting'


Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) on Monday said he had no problem with President Trump calling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to pressure him into overturning the state's election results.
"I didn't hear anything in that tape that the president hasn't already said for weeks now since the November election, calling for some sort of investigation," Perdue said during an appearance on Fox News. Perdue said he thinks Trump is just trying to say that "a lot of people in Georgia and 75 million Americans, I think, align with him right now, that something untoward happened here in Georgia and we have not gotten to the bottom of it."
The real problem, Perdue argued, is that the phone call was recorded and released to the media — that was "disgusting," he said. Perdue made his comments during last-minute campaigning ahead of Tuesday's Senate runoff races. Perdue, who is in quarantine after being exposed to someone with COVID-19, will face off against Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Washington Post and other news organizations obtained a recording of the phone call on Sunday. In the conversation, Trump made several baseless allegations about the election, including that the ballots were "corrupt," and he said Raffensperger should "find" enough votes to overturn the results, giving Trump the win instead of President-elect Joe Biden. Several Republican officials in Georgia, including Raffensperger, Gov. Brian Kemp, and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, have said there is no evidence of widespread fraud.
During a Monday interview with CNN, Duncan said Trump's call was "inappropriate" and "based on misinformation" and "theories that have been debunked and disproved over the course of the last 10 weeks." He also argued it "certainly did not help" Perdue or Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) ahead of Tuesday's runoffs.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire in border fight
Speed Read At least 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the recent violence
-
Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
Speed Read The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza
-
US and EU reach trade deal
Speed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war
-
At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes
Speed Read Both countries accused the other of firing first
-
US and Japan strike trade deal
Speed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
28 nations condemn Israel's 'inhumane killing' in Gaza
Speed Read Countries including Australia, France, Japan and the U.K. have released a joint statement condemning Israel's ongoing attacks
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months