ATLANTA — As Donald Trump disputed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and Republican control of the U.S. Senate hinged on her January runoff, Kelly Loeffler received a text message from Tricia Raffensperger.
Tricia sent the message hours after Loeffler and then-Georgia GOP senator David Perdue called for her husband – Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger – to resign for failing to “deliver honest and transparent elections.”
The pair cited no evidence in their attempt to oust Georgia’s chief election officer and appease Trump. Tricia was furious.
“Never did I think you were the kind of person to unleash such hate and fury on someone in political office of the same party,” Tricia Raffensperger wrote. “My family and I am being personally besieged by people threatening our lives because you didn't have the decency or good manners to come and talk to my husband with any questions you may have had.”
“I hold you personally responsible for anything that happens to any of my family, from my husband, children and grandchildren,” Tricia Raffensperger added.
The message, which 11Alive has confirmed as authentic, was one among a 59-page log of texts allegedly sent and received by Loeffler between Nov. 8, 2020 and Feb. 23, 2021. The log, obtained by 11Alive, purports to offer an inside view of Loeffler’s attempts to hold her seat as Trump’s allies pressured her and sowed doubt over November’s election results.
11Alive has not independently confirmed the authenticity of most of the texts on the log.
The contents of the text messages have been reported on by multiple media outlets, including the New York Times, Politico and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
What we know about the texts and why it matters
The copies of the alleged text exchanges were sent to 11Alive anonymously. Attempts to identify the sender of the text log were unsuccessful, and it’s not clear how the messages were obtained.
The disclosure comes as multiple investigations regarding Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election are ongoing. Those inquiries range from the national Jan. 6 committee to the local Fulton County probe.
The messages appeared to have been collected by a digital intelligence company that provides tools for federal, state, and local law enforcement investigations as well as companies.
A spokesperson for the Fulton County DA told 11Alive that they haven’t released any documents relating to Loeffler. The office would not say if Loeffler is a witness in its investigation.
11Alive confirmed the accuracy of certain conversations with four people identified on the log who sent and received messages. 11Alive contacted everyone identified in the exchanges. Some refused to speak or did not remember the exchanges. Others did not return phone calls.
The alleged texts reproduced on the log are almost exclusively between Loeffler, her campaign staff, GOP officials and politicians in the weeks leading to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot – an event that caused Loeffler to abandon her plan to block Joe Biden’s victory.
A spokesperson for the former senator did not confirm the authenticity of the texts in statements to media outlets, including 11Alive.
“The liberal media are being weaponized by criminal elements on the Left to promote unverified content in a desperate attempt to distract voters twenty days from the election,” said spokesperson Caitlin O’Dea. “As a top Republican donor who’s invested millions to rebuild Georgia’s conservative infrastructure over the last year and a half, the attacks against Kelly are no surprise. But there's one more reason why, this November, Americans should reject the radical Left – and put an end to their ceaseless efforts to destroy the lives and livelihoods of every conservative across this nation.”
What did the texts say?
In the days and weeks after Trump’s loss, his allies began mounting challenges aimed at keeping him in the White House. Several Georgia congressional representatives and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz asked Loeffler to challenge Biden’s victory during the Electoral College vote count.
Loeffler played a key role in any challenge to Georgia’s electoral votes. For any protest to be heard by the U.S. House or Senate, a senator and congressional representative from the state had to sign an official objection, according to federal law. Then-Sen. David Perdue’s term expired Jan. 3 – three days before the vote.
The log shows alleged texts from Georgia Republican congressional representatives and other national GOP leaders asking Loeffler to object to the election.
Pressure continued and deliberations intensified after Trump announced Dec. 30 that he’d rally for Loeffler and Perdue in Dalton on Jan. 4.
Among the most notable messages, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz texted Loeffler on Jan. 1, 2021 to set up a phone call, according to the log.
Roughly two hours after the first text, Cruz sent her a lengthy statement urging her to reject Biden’s win pending a 10-day audit.
Cruz spokesperson Dave Vasquez told Politico the following about the texts with Loeffler: “As Senator Cruz has stated before, had Congress followed the path he urged and appointed an Election Commission to conduct an emergency 10-day audit and consider on the merits the evidence of voter fraud, the American people would today have much greater confidence and trust in the integrity of our elections and our democracy.”
Loeffler lost her Jan. 5 runoff, and she returned to the Capitol for the Jan. 6 certification. Despite her loss, Loeffler still planned to object to Biden’s victory. Then, a pro-Trump crowd stormed the Capitol and interrupted the certification.
The alleged texts obtained by 11Alive do not include minute-by-minute exchanges about the riot itself. As the day got more violent, the alleged texts show debates among Loeffler’s staff about whether or not she should object.
11Alive has not confirmed the veracity of these text messages reproduced in the log.
In the early hours of Jan. 7, Loeffler delivered a speech in the Capitol that expressed concern regarding the 2020 election process but called for the country to move forward.
“Though the fate of this vote is clear, the future of the American people’s faith and the core institution of this democracy remains uncertain,” she said. “We, as a body, must turn our focus to protecting the integrity of our elections and restoring every American’s faith that their voice and their vote matters. America’s a divided country with serious differences, but it is still the greatest country on earth. There can be no disagreement that upholding democracy is the only path to preserving our republic.”
11Alive's Jonathan Raymond contributed to this report.