At Jan. 6 hearing, GOP state election officials detail pushback to Trump's pressure

The committee said he was directly involved in the 'fake electors" scheme.

ByLibby Cathey and Alexandra Hutzler
Last Updated: August 4, 2022, 5:33 PM EDT

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol held another hearing Tuesday on the pressure campaign it says former President Donald Trump and allies put on state election officials as part of a larger "seven-part scheme" to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Here is how the hearing unfolded:

Jun 21, 2022, 3:04 PM EDT

Audio of Trump pressuring Georgia official aired in hearing

The committee aired audio from a call in which Trump tried to convince Frances Watson, the Georgia secretary of state's lead elections investigator, to reverse his loss.

"You know, you have the most important job in the country right now," Trump told her as he continued to falsely claim victory in the Peach State -- which he lost to Joe Biden by some 11,000 votes.

"When the right answer comes out, you'll be praised," Trump said to Watson.

Jun 21, 2022, 2:55 PM EDT

Sterling describes threats to election workers amid Trump's pressure

Gabe Sterling, the chief oversight officer of Georgia's election, said trying to combat misinformation spread by Trump and his team was "kind of like a shovel trying to empty out the ocean," adding that he even argued with his own family members over the 'big lie.'

With Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asking the Georgia election officials about threats made against them, Sterling said the "straw that broke the camel's back" for him was a message to a Dominion contractor which said, "You committed treason -- May God have mercy on your soul," accompanied with a "slowly twisting GIF of a noose," he said.

Arizona State House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Arizona Brad Raffensperger,and Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Gabe Sterling appear at a hearing of the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Left to right, Arizona State House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Arizona Brad Raffensperger, and Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Gabe Sterling appear at a hearing of the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington at the U.S. Capitol, June 21, 2022.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

"I lost my temper, but it seemed necessary at the time because it was just getting worse," Sterling said.

The committee went on to play a video of him from December 2020 in which he pleaded with Trump to "stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence."

Jun 21, 2022, 2:53 PM EDT

Raffensperger says Georgia race 'remarkably smooth' despite false allegations

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was the first to testify after a short recess and was immediately asked by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to address the false allegations of widespread voter fraud Trump and his allies pushed in the battleground state.

"Our election went remarkably smooth," Raffensperger said. "President Biden carried the state of Georgia by approximately 12,000 votes," he reminded.

Committee Chairperson Bennie Thompson swears in Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to testify during a hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, June 21, 2022.
Committee Chairperson Bennie Thompson swears in Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to testify during the fourth hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Capitol Hill, June 21, 2022.
Tom Brenner/Reuters

Raffensperger, a Republican who supported Trump's re-election bid, recounted how three separate audits in the state confirmed President Joe Biden as the winner.

"Three counts -- all remarkably close -- which show that President Trump did come up short," he said.

Jun 21, 2022, 2:38 PM EDT

GOP Sen. Johnson attempted to give fake electors to Pence, committee shows

The committee showed evidence that Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., attempted to deliver slates of "fake" Trump electors from Wisconsin and Michigan to then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Text messages the House panel obtained between Johnson staffer Sean Riley and Pence aide Chris Hodgson were displayed on-screen during Tuesday's hearing.

Riley wrote that Johnson wanted to hand over fake electors from the two states -- which Joe Biden won -- to Pence ahead of Jan. 6.

"Do not give that to him,” the Pence aide replied.

After the evidence was presented, a spokesperson for Johnson's office denied that the senator had any involvement in the creation of fake alternate slates of electors and claimed he had "no foreknowledge" it was going to be delivered to the office.

"The senator had no involvement in the creation of an alternate slate of electors and had no foreknowledge that it was going to be delivered to our office. This was a staff to staff exchange. His new Chief of Staff contacted the Vice President’s office. The Vice President’s office said not to give it to him and we did not. There was no further action taken. End of story," Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Johnson, told ABC News.

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