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Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger to testify publicly before Jan. 6 committee

Raffensperger met privately with the panel in November about the pressure he got from former President Donald Trump to change his state's election results.
Brad Raffensperger
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at a news conference in Atlanta on Dec. 14, 2020.John Bazemore / AP file

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will testify publicly before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol at a hearing this month, a source familiar with the planning confirmed.

Raffensperger deputy Gabriel Sterling, the office’s chief operating officer and voting system implementation manager, will also appear, the source said.

The pair's expected testimony was previously reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Politico. A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on the planned testimony.

Raffensperger, a Republican, met privately with the committee for four hours in late November, when he testified about being pressured by then-President Donald Trump to change his election loss in Georgia to a win.

The efforts included a remarkable hourlong phone call on Jan. 2, 2021, pressuring him to “find” 11,780 votes for him in the state to overturn Joe Biden's victory there.

Raffensperger also testified behind closed doors this month before a special grand jury hearing evidence in the Fulton County district attorney's office's investigation into possible 2020 election interference.

Sterling went viral in December 2020 for a fiery speech he gave calling for an end to the false election fraud claims that had led to the harassment of election officials, including death threats.

“It has to stop. Mr. President," Sterling said then.

Sterling, who is also a Republican, also routinely debunked Trump's bogus claims of widespread fraud in the state.

Trump endorsed and campaigned for Raffensperger's primary challenger, Jody Hice, in Georgia last month. Raffensperger defeated Hice by 17 points.

The committee will hold its first public hearing Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.