Washington, Dec 23 (IANS): Former US President Donald Trump pressured election officials in Michigan not to certify the results of the 2020 Presidential election as he and Republican National Committe Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called two Republicans on the Wayne County Board urging them not to sign off on the results, according to a recording of the call reviewed by a section of the US media.
"We've got to fight for our country," Trump reportedly told Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, members on the board of canvassers, on November 17, 2020.
"We can't let these people take our country away from us."
The report unravels Trump campaign's efforts to contest the election results in the key swing state and comes amid two criminal cases against Trump at the state and federal level related to election interference (Washington D.C. and Georgia).
President Joe Biden beat Trump by around 1,54,000 votes in Michigan in 2020, and multiple legal cases alleging election fraud were dismissed by courts for lack of evidence.
A State Senate Committee run by Republican members dismissed claims of fraud as being unsubstantiated, media reports said.
Trump and McDaniel called in the two Republican canvassers shortly after the panel voted to certify the county's election results after they had first voted against certification and deadlocked the four-member board. Trump reportedly told them they would look "terrible" if they then signed the documents to finalise certification.
"If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. ... We will get you attorneys," McDaniel reportedly said.
Palmer and Hartmann did leave the meeting without signing the documents. The next day, they petitioned to rescind their votes in favour of certification but failed. Palmer had previously said that Trump had called her that night to thank her expressing concerns for her safety.
Spokespersons for Palmer, McDaniel and Trump did not dispute a summary of the call, but Hartmann died in 2021.
Trump's actions "were taken in furtherance of his duty as President of the US to faithfully take care of the laws and ensure election integrity, including investigating the rigged and stolen 2020 Presidential election," Spokesperson Steven Cheung told USA TODAY in a statement.
Trump faces federal felony charges for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election.
Prosecutors argue that Trump knowingly promoted lies about election fraud, organised slates of fake electors in states like Michigan, and pushed the then Vice-President Mike Pence not to certify the results on January 6, 2021. That trial is slated to begin on March 4, USA TODAY said.
The former US President also faces criminal racketeering charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act in Georgia for attempting to overturn the election in that state.
Georgia prosecutors allege that Trump led a "criminal racketeering enterprise" to change the election results, including pushing a slate of fake electors, harassing county election workers, illegally copying data off elections' equipment and asking Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to find enough votes for him to win.