ATLANTA — A robocall message originating from a group chaired by the Georgia Attorney General encouraged Trump supporters to descend on the nation’s Capitol to ‘Stop the Steal’ ahead of Wednesday’s violent attack.
Attorney General Chris Carr and other Republican Attorneys General Association leaders say they did not authorize the message nor support Wednesday’s events.
The call was sent out to Trump supporters Tuesday night. It’s from the Rule of Law Defense Fund, which is the financial and policy arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association. Carr is a longtime member and the group’s newly-elected chairman. His appointment was announced in December, and Carr assumed the role this month.
The robocall was posted this week by the watchdog group Documented.
“I’m calling for the Rule of Law Defense Fund with an important message,” the message said. “The march to save America is tomorrow in Washington D.C. at the Ellipse in President’s Park between E St. and Constitution Avenue on the south side of the White House, with doors opening at 7 a.m. At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on congress to stop the steal. We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections. For more information, visit MarchtoSaveAmerica.com. This call is paid for and authorized by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, 202-796-5838.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
For months, Carr’s RACA group has run a video campaign against ‘lawless liberal mobs’ ahead of a mob of Trump supporters attacking the nation’s Capitol this week.
Carr has been fighting President Donald Trump’s attorneys in a slew of unfounded claims rooted in election fraud lawsuits. The Trump campaign dropped those lawsuits this week, after weeks of federal and local courts dismissing similar claims. Carr did not align himself with other RACA members who supported the tossed Texas lawsuit, claiming fraud in states where Trump lost the election.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Georgia sets single-day record with 10,393 confirmed COVID-19 cases
- Gov. Kemp: ‘We’re making progress’ in COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Georgia
- Massive meth ring bust in multiple counties in metro Atlanta
Channel 2 requested an interview with Carr about the robocall. In a statement, his spokeswoman said the AG continued to condemn the attacks and did not authorize the robocall send-out.
“He unequivocally had no knowledge or involvement in this decision. Attorney General Carr has been working diligently to determine how this situation occurred and ensure that it does not happen again,” said spokeswoman Katie Byrd. “The stance of the protesters was not consistent with Attorney General Carr’s position on election fraud. And, as he has been saying since moments after seeing news break, the violence and destruction we saw at the U.S. Capitol is unacceptable and un-American. He believes any individual involved in the violence should be held accountable and prosecuted.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
As the attack unfolded in Washington, court records show Carr also shot back at Trump’s attorney’s claims that the state had reached a settlement agreement in the president’s election fraud legal claims.
Carr also asserted that one of Trump’s attorneys violated Bar rules in a Sunday call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the president asked Raffensperger to “find” more than 11,000 additional votes.
“Without notifying Defendants’ counsel, Plaintiff and his litigation counsel participated in a phone conference with Defendant Raffensperger on Saturday January 2, 2020. The participation of counsel for Plaintiff in that call appears to be in violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 4.2, as Plaintiff’s counsel neither notified litigation counsel for Defendant Raffensperger nor sought nor obtained consent to conduct or participate in a conversation with Defendant Raffensperger,” Carr wrote.
This browser does not support the video element.