>>> RIGHT NOW GEORGIA’S TWO
REPUBLICAN SENATORS BOTH IN
RUNOFF RACES TO WIN THEIR SEATS,
THEY WANT THE REPUBLICAN RUNNING
ELECTIONS IN THEIR STATE TO
QUIT.
NBC’S PRISCILLA THOMPSON IS IN
ATLANTA.
VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED THERE
IN GEORGIA.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHY?
>> Reporter: CRAIG, NOT ONLY ARE
VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED HERE,
BUT THIS RUNOFF IS ALREADY UNDER
WAY.
PEOPLE ARE REQUESTING THEIR
ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR THAT RACE
NOW.
COUNTIES WILL BEGIN SENDING THEM
OUT NEXT WEEK.
THAT IS THE SITUATION IN WHICH
WE’RE IN AS SENATORS LOEFFLER
AND PERDUE ARE CALLING ON THE
HIGHEST ELECTION OFFICIAL IN THE
STATE TO RESIGN.
THEY SENT THAT LETTER OUT
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON SAYING THAT
THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS
MISMANAGED THE ELECTION HERE,
THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN
TRANSPARENT, THOUGH NOTABLY THEY
DIDN’T CITE ANY SPECIFIC
EVIDENCE OR EXAMPLES TO ATTEST
TO THAT.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS
RESPONDED, PUSHING BACK ON THOSE
CLAIMS AND SAYING UNEQUIVOCALLY
THAT HE HAS NO INTENTION OF
RESIGNING.
HE RELEASED A STATEMENT WRITING
IN PART, QUOTE, THE VOTERS OF
GEORGIA HIRED ME AND THE VOTERS
WILL BE THE ONE TO FIRE ME.
AS SECRETARY OF STATE, I’LL
CONTINUE TO FIGHT EVERY DAY TO
ENSURE FAIR ELECTIONS IN
GEORGIA, THAT EVERY LEGAL VOTE
COUNTS, AND THAT ILLEGAL VOTES
DON’T COUNT.
HE CLOSES THE LETTER SAYING AS A
REPUBLICAN, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT
REPUBLICANS KEEPING THE U.S.
SENATE.
I RECOMMEND THAT SENATORS
LOEFFLER AN PERDUE START
FOCUSING ON THAT.
SO A VERY SHARP RESPONSE FROM
THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT ALL OF
THIS IS HAPPENING JUST THIS
MORNING THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IN
THEIR RECOUNT EFFORTS LED BY
REPRESENTATIVE DOUG COLLINS HAVE
SIGNALED THAT NOT ONLY ARE THEY
GOING TO REQUEST A RECOUNT, BUT
THEY WANT THE NEARLY 5 MILLION
BALLOTS CAST HERE TO BE COUNTED
BY HAND.
THAT’S WHAT THE SECRETARY OF
STATE’S OFFICE IS DEALING WITH
AS THE SENATORS ARE CALLING ON
THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO
RESIGN.
CRAIG.
>> PRISCILLA THOMPSON IN
ATLANTA, THANK YOU.
LET’S TURN NOW TO MICHAEL
STEELE, FORMER RNC CHAIRMAN,
SENIOR ADVISER TO THE LINCOLN
PROJECT.
MICHAEL, YOU’VE GOT SENATORS
PERDUE AND LOEFFLER FIGHTING
WITH REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS IN
THEIR OWN STATE.
IS THIS JUST A GIFT TO
DEMOCRATS?
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?
>> IT’S NOT A GIFT IN THAT
SENSE, BUT WHAT IT DOES SHOW,
THAT THE GEORGIA RACE IS LESS
ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL BECAUSE
IN TERMS OF THE OUTCOME OF BIDEN
VERSUS TRUMP, GEORGIA IS NOT
GOING TO BE A FACTOR
PARTICULARLY GIVEN WHERE WE ARE
WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA AND WHAT’S
GOING ON IN ARIZONA.
SO THIS IS REALLY ABOUT THE
SENATE RACE.
THIS IS REALLY ABOUT THE SENATE
AND THE FACT THAT THE TWO
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES DID NOT
MEET THE REQUIRED THRESHOLD.
UNDER GEORGIA LAW, THERE’S A
RUNOFF.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS
EXACTLY RIGHT.
YOU’RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME
TRYING TO FIGHT ME ON THE PAST.
WE’VE MOVED ON.
THERE’S A RUNOFF.
YOU BETTER CATCH UP IF YOU WANT
TO RETURN TO WASHINGTON IN
JANUARY.
SO THE SECRETARY OF STATE NAILED
IT.
HE JUST NAILED IT EXACTLY RIGHT.
HE SAW THROUGH THE SORT OF --
THE CRAZINESS AND THE SORT OF
TRUMPIFIED AIR THESE GUYS ARE
PUSHING OUT TO TRY TO MAKE IT
REALLY CLEAR FOR GEORGIANS THAT
WE HAVE A RUNOFF FOR TWO SENATE
SEATS.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS ARE BEING
REQUESTED, THOSE BALLOTS ARE
BEING SENT OUT.
THE QUESTION FOR THOSE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES, DO YOU
WANT TO CONTINUE TO ADHERE TO
THE IDEA PROFITEDPHETED BY THE
PRESIDENT THAT MAIL-IN BALLOTS
ARE CORRUPT AND NOT PARTICIPATE
IN MAIL-IN BALLOT PROCESS OR DO
YOU WANT TO RUN A CAMPAIGN AND
DO WHAT WE’VE TRADITIONALLY DONE
AND THAT IS USE ALL MEANS TO GET
OUR VOTES OUT AND COUNTED.
>> MEANWHILE, MICHAEL STEELE.
MISH McCONNELL FOR NOW SEEMS TO
BE BACKING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
DECISION NOT TO CONCEDE.
I WANT TO READ PART OF WHAT
ROBERT COSTA OF "THE WASHINGTON
POST" IS REPORTING.
QUOTE, BASED ON MY CONVERSATIONS
WITH REPUBLICANS OVER THE
WEEKEND, MOST EVERYTHING
McCONNELL DOES FROM HERE ON
ISN’T ABOUT JANUARY 20th,
INAUGURATION DAY AND WORKING
WITH BIDEN, BUT JANUARY 5th, THE
GEORGIA RUNOFF ELECTIONS.
TO WIN THE LATTER, REPUBLICANS
BELIEVE THE BASE MUST BE STOKED,
ESPECIALLY IN A FAST-CHANGING
STATE.
WHAT SAY YOU TO THAT STRATEGY,
MICHAEL?
IS THAT THE WAY TO PLAY IT?
>> WELL, IT’S THE ONLY PLAY THEY
HAVE, CRAIG.
REPUBLICANS HAVE NOT MADE THE
CASE TO CITIZENS.
THE REASON WHY THE RACE IS CLOSE
IN GEORGIA, THE REASON WHY
DONALD TRUMP LOST, IS WHAT WAS
THE ARGUMENT THAT WE MAKE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE OR THE PEOPLE OF
GEORGIA?
THESE RACES ARE CLOSE BECAUSE
VOTERS HAVE DISCERNED AND
DECIDED WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR
AND WHETHER OR NOT CANDIDATE A
OR CANDIDATE B RESPONDS TO THAT.
SO, YEAH, THIS IS NOW, WE’RE
STOKING THE BASE AND TRYING TO
KEEP THE BASE STOKED, BUT LET ME
TELL YOU, STACEY ABRAMS HAS DONE
A PHENOMENAL JOB IN THE STATE OF
GEORGIA ABOUT STOKING THE BASE
THERE FOR THE DEMOCRATS AS WELL.
AND THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE
AS MUCH JUICE AS SHE’S BEEN ABLE
TO GENERATE IN LEVELING THE
PLAYING FIELD THERE?
TWO, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF GEORGIA
LIKE WE’RE SEEING IN THE REST OF
THE SOUTH IS CHANGING.
AMERICA IS NOT A STATIC PLACE.
NO STATE IS STATIC.
YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ALL WHITE FOR
60 OR 100 YEARS, BUT THAT’S NOT
GOING TO BE THE CASE GOING
FORWARD.
WE KNOW WHERE THE DEMOGRAPHICS
ARE, AND THE PARTY NEEDS TO
RECOGNIZE THAT AND BE PREPARED
TO PLAY ON THAT SPACE.
STOKING A BASE IS ONE THING.
ADVANCING AN ARGUMENT TO THE
PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO
ELECT YOUR CANDIDATES AND
EMBRACE YOUR POLICIES ARE
SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT.
THE PARTY CLEARLY HAS NOT DONE
THIS SUFFICIENTLY, OTHERWISE
THEY WOULDN’T BE IN A RUNOFF IN
GEORGIA AND JOE BIDEN PROBABLY
WOULDN’T BE TAKING THE OATH OF
OFFICE COME JANUARY.
>> REALLY QUICKLY, MICHAEL, WHO
IS GOING TO BE THE PERSON OR
PEOPLE THAT FINALLY CONVINCE
THIS PRESIDENT IT’S TIME TO JUST
ACCEPT IT?
>> DONALD TRUMP.
HE’S HIS OWN COUNSEL.
IT DOESN’T MATTER -- MAYBE
IVANKA, MAYBE IVANKA GETTING IN
HIS EAR, DADDY, IT’S DONE.
I DON’T KNOW HOW THAT
CONVERSATION GOES.
HE DOESN’T LISTEN TO ANYBODY BUT
HIMSELF.
HE’S TOLD US HE’S HIS OWN
COUNSEL.
SO LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO SHOW
UP, DRIVE DOWN FROM CAPITOL HILL
TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO SIT DOWN
AND TELL THE PRESIDENT IT’S
OVER, OKAY, THAT’S A NICE DRIVE,
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN DONALD
TRUMP IS GOING TO LISTEN.
HE’S GOT IN HIS MIND WHAT HE
WANTS TO DO.
HE’S SHELLSHOCKED TO A CERTAIN
EXTENT RIGHT NOW.
HE’S ANGRY.
HE’S LASHING OUT ON TWITTER AND
HIS MINIONS ARE TRYING TO CREATE
HAVOC WHERE THEY CAN INCLUDING
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND HIS
CRAZINESS RIGHT NOW, BREAKING 40
YEARS OF PRECEDENT AND PROTOCOL
IN TERMS OF INJECTING THE -- HIS
OFFICE INTO THESE ELECTIONS.
SO THEY’RE DESPERATE.
BUT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, AND
THAT IS GOING TO BE HONORED.