Top Georgia elections official testifies before special grand jury investigating former President Trump
ATLANTA - Testimony before a special Fulton County grand jury investigating a host of alleged presidential election fraud crimes continues this week.
A top Georgia Secretary of State official who oversaw the elections in Georgia testified on Wednesday.
Gabe Sterling, chief Operating Officer of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, arriving at the Fulton County courthouse to testify before a special grand jury investigating Georgia’s 2020 elections.
Sterling, was a key player in Georgia's 2020 election process, and burst onto the national political scene in December 2020 with a stern warning to then President Donald Trump .
"This has got to stop. Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language," Sterling said in December 2020.
Sterling, who oversaw Georgia’s tight 2020 presidential race, was outraged by death threats aimed at him, his boss, Secretary Brad Raffensperger, and election employees all while Trump and other top Republican leaders attacked Georgia's election system.
"Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed," Sterling said in 2020.
Those threats and Sterling’s eyewitness account of what he has called a fair and fraud free election, are expected to be at the heart of Sterling’s testimony before the special grand jury investigating the former president and others.
Also expected to testify as early as this week is the Secretary of State’s general counsel.
Ryan Germany was a part of the now-well-known conference phone call in which then President Donald Trump told Brad Raffensperger to find the president some 12,000 votes to swing Georgia’s electoral votes in Mr. Trump’s favor.
Germany sparred with the President, telling him at times that the President’s information was not accurate or flat out wrong.
In one exchange, President Trump insisted a particular Fulton County poll worker’s ballots were 100% cast in favor of Biden.
Trump: "Every single ballot that she did through the machines at early, early in the morning went to Biden. Did you know that, Ryan?"
Germany: "That’s not accurate, Mr. President."
Another time, President Trump insisted Dominion, which made the voting machines, had shredded ballots and was trying to move its equipment out of Georgia
Trump: "That Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that’s illegal, right?"
Germany: "This is Ryan Germany. No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County."
Trump: "But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?"
Germany: "No."
Trump: "Are you sure, Ryan?"
Germany: "I’m sure. I’m sure, Mr. President."
The FOX 5 I-Team was told more than two dozen witnesses are expected to testify before the special grand jury during the next few months.
A list that includes elections supervisors, state senators and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, and possibly Governor Brian Kemp.