Georgia’s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, is fundraising for a nonprofit lawfare group that he claims will target any activists or election officials who raise concerns regarding voter fraud. Election Defense Fund, Inc.—a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization—was founded in 2023 and appears to be run by Ryan Germany, the former General Counsel for Raffensperer.
In a recent fundraising email for the Election Defense Fund, Raffensperger—who says he intends to raise $5 million for the group before the November election—specifically targeted Georgia State Election Board members Dr. Jan Johnson, Janelle King, and Rick Jeffries. The three election officials recently spearheaded several major election integrity efforts and changes to the state’s election rules regarding ballot counting.
“Election deniers and conspiracy theorists have taken their anger to new levels, employing a variety of tactics including intimidation, legal challenges, and rule changes,” Raffensperger writes. “In Georgia they have threatened, harassed, and sued election officials. And as you know, most recently the Georgia State Election Board was taken over by three individuals who have pledged to put partisanship over sworn duty,” he alleges.
While Raffensperger’s involvement in an outside lawfare group is concerning on its own, Germany’s involvement raises additional problems. During the 2020 presidential election, Germany stonewalled attempts to audit election results in Fulton County, drawing the ire of President Donald J. Trump.
A phone call between Trump and Germany later resulted in one of the charges brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her RICO prosecution of the former president and his allies. However, in March of this year, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed that specific charge—along with several others.
🚨GA ELECTION INTERFERENCE🚨
The GA SOS is up to no good and gearing up to go after the Georgia State Election Board (SEB) members and others not willing to certify the election and/or those willing to shine the light on any potential fraud in this election
Raffensperger sent… pic.twitter.com/yMo29RZgzV
— Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) October 22, 2024