Echoing Trump, David Perdue Sues Over Baseless Election Claims

Former Senator David Perdue of Georgia, a Republican who is moving for politician with the backing of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump, filed a suit connected Friday seeking the inspection of absentee ballots successful the 2020 election, reviving long-debunked claims successful the latest motion that Mr. Trump’s predetermination grievances volition beryllium cardinal to his candidacy.

The suit draws connected Mr. Trump’s mendacious claims of predetermination fraud successful Georgia and crossed the country, which culminated successful the Capitol riot connected Jan. 6. In the months since, galore Republican elected officials person pivoted from rebuking predetermination conspiracy theories to embracing them vocally in an effort to triumph the affections of Mr. Trump and his supporters.

Mr. Perdue, who was endorsed by Mr. Trump soon aft announcing his candidacy connected Monday, is moving against Gov. Brian Kemp, a chap Republican who is simply a staunch blimpish but has come nether withering attacks from the erstwhile president and his allies implicit Mr. Kemp’s unwillingness to assistance them overturn President Biden’s triumph successful Georgia. Mr. Perdue told quality outlets this week that helium would not person certified the results if helium had been politician alternatively of Mr. Kemp.

Republicans successful states crossed the state person continued to formed uncertainty connected the 2020 election’s legitimacy by trying to transportation retired partisan reviews of the results, which they often misleadingly statement “audits” to lend them a greater consciousness of authority. G.O.P. lawmakers successful astatine slightest 5 states are pursuing reviews, and Republicans successful states including Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida person introduced bills to statesman caller ones adjacent year.

Mr. Perdue’s suit, which The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier reported and which was filed successful the Superior Court of Fulton County, argues that done unlawful “acts and omissions,” predetermination officials successful Fulton, the state’s astir populous region and a large root of Democratic votes, “circumvented the bulk ballot of the radical of the State of Georgia and thereby affected the result of the statewide General Election connected Nov. 3, 2020 successful respective races.”

In the complaint, Mr. Perdue names a region predetermination authoritative and workers underneath him, claiming that they “negligently, grossly negligently oregon intentionally engaged successful and/or permitted aggregate unlawful predetermination acts.”

“David Perdue wants to usage his presumption and ineligible lasting to radiance airy connected what helium knows were superior violations of Georgia instrumentality successful the Fulton absentee ballot tabulation,” Bob Cheeley, a lawyer for the candidate, told The Journal-Constitution.

Georgia predetermination officials person reviewed the 2020 results 3 times and person travel to the aforesaid conclusion: Mr. Biden won the state, narrowly but decisively.

Mr. Perdue lost his re-election bid successful January to Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat.

The ineligible effort by Mr. Perdue follows a similar lawsuit this twelvemonth by a radical of voters led by a known conspiracy theorist. That case, which sought to inspect each 147,000 absentee ballots successful Fulton County, was thrown out aft Judge Brian Amero of Henry County Superior Court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked lasting and could not amusement immoderate circumstantial wounded oregon harm.

Mr. Perdue’s suit could enactment astir astatine slightest portion of Judge Amero’s ruling, due to the fact that helium was a campaigner successful the 2020 elections.

Several Republicans successful Georgia criticized the suit.

“David Perdue is truthful acrophobic astir predetermination fraud that helium waited a twelvemonth to record a suit that conveniently coincided with his disastrous run launch,” Cody Hall, a spokesperson for Governor Kemp’s campaign, said. “Keep successful caput that suit aft suit regarding the 2020 predetermination was dismissed successful portion due to the fact that Perdue declined to beryllium listed arsenic a plaintiff.”

Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia caput of authorities — who, similar Mr. Kemp, has travel nether onslaught from chap Republicans for resisting Mr. Trump’s predetermination pressure — said successful a statement: “Fake Trumpers similar Perdue are trying to curry favour with the Trump basal by pushing predetermination conspiracy theories that everyone — including the voters they are hoping to pull — knows they don’t truly believe.”

Georgia continues to beryllium a hub of litigation and nationalist attraction implicit elections and voting rights. Two predetermination workers successful the authorities filed a defamation lawsuit past week against Gateway Pundit, a right-wing quality outlet that falsely claimed they had manipulated ballots. On Friday, Reuters reported that 1 of the workers said she had been pressured by a publicist for Kanye West, the rapper who ran for president and antecedently supported Mr. Trump, to admit manipulating votes.

The Georgia Democratic Party, whose apt nominee for governor, Stacey Abrams, announced her campaign past week, reveled successful the high-profile clash of Republicans and sought to lump them together.

“It is reprehensible that David Perdue is peddling those aforesaid unsafe lies successful a bittersweet ploy for attention,” the enactment said successful a statement. “From David Perdue’s frivolous suit to Brian Kemp’s elector suppression laws — some based connected the aforesaid fabricated lies — cipher who sows distrust successful our escaped and just elections deserves to pb our state.”

Sheelagh McNeill contributed research.