Then-President Donald Trump personally pressured two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election, according to recordings reviewed by The Detroit News and revealed publicly for the first time.
On a Nov. 17, 2020, phone call, which also involved Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump told Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, the two GOP Wayne County canvassers, they’d look “terrible” if they signed the documents after they first voted in opposition and then later in the same meeting voted to approve certification of the county’s election results, according to the recordings.
“We’ve got to fight for our country,” said Trump on the recordings, made by a person who was present for the call with Palmer and Hartmann. “We can’t let these people take our country away from us.”
McDaniel, a Michigan native and the leader of the Republican Party nationally, said at another point in the call, “If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. … We will get you attorneys.”
If you come at the king, you best not miss.
If you come at me you can pretty much lock me up for life with zero evidence by just never prosecuting me and forgetting I exist after arresting me because the cop didn’t like my attitude.
If you acknowledge him as a king, you’ve already lost.
It’s a reference to a tv show. The point is he is a powerful, influential, and dangerous person. A not guilty verdict will make him stronger and more vengeful. A careful, foolproof investigation is the best strategy to take him down.
At least that’s the excuse for slow walking every investigation.