Georgia officials fact-check an infamous Trump phone call in real time

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia elections official Gabriel Sterling testify during a hearing held by the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack on Tuesday in Washington.

Michael Reynolds / Michael Reynolds

Former President Donald Trump famously pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to overturn the state’s presidential election result in a January 2021 phone call that lasted more than an hour.

At Thursday’s hearing, Rep. Adam Schiff played clips of that recording in front of Raffensperger and Georgia elections official Gabriel Sterling, pausing to ask them questions and fact-check the former president’s false claims in real time.

He also led with some important context about what preceded the Jan. 2 call. The White House was persistent in trying to reach Raffensperger, with staffers including former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows calling and texting his office 18 times to try to set up a call with the president.